A Ninja in Mariner Bay
by Livangel16
Summary: Lucretzia Solomon is a ninja.When her school is attacked by the escaped demons,she joins Lightspeed as the Shiro Ranger to protect an ancient sword that could end the world.But she never counted on falling in love with Captain Mitchell's son.Ryan X OC
1. Chapter 1

Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue-A Ninja in Mariner Bay

Summary: Lucretzia Alexandra Solomon is a student of a ninja academy that has been warring with the demons for centuries. When they're released again, Lucretzia comes to help Lightspeed Rescue and protect an ancient sword that could spell the end of humanity if it falls into the demons' hands. But she didn't count on falling in love with her Captain's son. Little Carter X OC, Eventual Ryan X OC

**Hey! So, this is my first ever Power Rangers story! I'm kinda nervous because this is the beginning chapter and it's kinda long, but oh well. Please review it! I really need feedback to see if I should continue this story! Anyways, hope you enjoy it and review!**

Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers or any of their characters! That belongs to Saban! All O/C belong to me (meaning Lucretzia)!

Chapter One-Operation Lightspeed

At Lightspeed's Aquabase, a young blonde dressed in a female officer's uniform maneuvered through the other government officers to the conference room where Captain William Mitchell was sitting in conference with some of his other officers.

"Captain. Something's come up," the young woman informed him. With a look and a nod, Captain Mitchell dismissed his officers and as they left, Dana Mitchell came around the table and came close to him.

"Father. They've escaped," the young woman said.

"You're sure, Dana?" Captain Mitchell asked. Dana nodded. Captain Mitchell then went to a hidden safe and pulled out five folders from the safe.

"Then it's time to bring them in," Captain Mitchell replied. The young woman nodded, taking the five folders. The five people chosen to defend the city from the great evil that had been unleashed were behind the covers of these folders.

Once Dana had gone, Captain Mitchell went to the communications center in the west wing of the Aquabase, where Ms. Angela Fairweather and her team were working tirelessly on the latest gadgets that Lightspeed would need to defend Mariner Bay. But there was one more weapon that would make Diabolico and his minions not know what hit them.

"Put me through to Sensei Kurahara," Captain Mitchell commanded, putting on his ear piece. In a matter of minutes, an elderly man with a graying beard and black-grey hair was on-screen. He wore colorful robes of red and brown with wide sleeves. He was seated in a spacious room on what looked like a grass-woven mat, legs crossed. Behind him were the symbols of the four elements encased in a circle which was divided into four, equal parts.

"Ah, William!" Sensei Kurahara sighed gravely, his brown eyes heavy with grief. "It is as we have always feared. They have escaped, and will no doubt come after the Sword of Sentai. We **must** protect it…at all costs."

"We can protect the sword here at Lightspeed, Sensei," Captain Mitchell offered. "Ms. Fairweather has developed the latest weaponry and gadgets to take on the demons. As well, there are six morphers that will transform the chosen ones into Lightspeed Power Rangers. I've already chosen five. Now, you must choose the one who will become the Sentai Ranger."

"Thank you for your concern, William. But we are trained ninja here at the Kōga Academy," Sensei Kurahara replied serenely. "We can withstand any attack which Diabolico and his minions may throw at us."

"But Sensei…they'll destroy the academy to get the sword!" William reasoned. "Please. Let us help you!"

"Thank you, my old friend. But we all have our parts to play in this great, cosmic production," Sensei Kurahara told him firmly, bowing. "And we at the Kōga Academy will play ours to their fullest. Goodbye William. And good luck." The screen went black, and Captain William Mitchell slammed his fists against the console angrily.

* * *

_Meanwhile at the Skull Cavern…_

"We're free!" Loki the demon crowed. "Free to reclaim the palace of Queen Bansheera!"

"But she's not here!" Diabolico observed, looking around the palace. The gold-colored demon was a fearsome sight with his red, glowing eyes, fang-like teeth, pointy ears, huge, clawed feet, a fearsome face of terror on his stomach and the Star Power crystal on his chest. In his hand, he carried a skull-headed staff and chains were wrapped around his wrist.

"Mama!" tiny Impus cried, sucking on his little, red pacifier.

"Vypra," he said, causing the female, human-looking demon with wings and silver battle armor to turn, sword still in hand. "We must care for her son, Impus, until she returns. Who did this, Loki?"

"Humans, Diabolico! They've built their cities right on top of our palace!" Loki pointed out angrily.

"Have they?" Diabolico mused.

"Just look!" Loki grumbled, shooting a beam from his hand and showing his comrades the city of Mariner Bay. "They built their ugly city on our sacred ground! No palace! No queen! No ultimate power!"

"We **will** have our palace back…after we destroy their miserable city brick by brick!" Diabolico vowed in a dangerous tone. "But first, we'll need the Sword of Sentai from the Kōga Academy," Diabolico instructed. "Loki, take a full squadron of Batlings and let's pay our "good friend" Sensei Kurahara and his students a little visit."

"Yes, Diabolico," Loki replied, bowing and then setting off to round up the Batlings that would besiege the Kōga Academy.

"Soon, the Sword of Sentai will be in our grasp, Mariner Bay will be destroyed and Queen Bansheera will return to rule once more!" Diabolico declared before laughing evilly.

* * *

"Block! Now, dragon punch! Now, front snap kick!" Block again! And…finish!" Maurice commanded. The young woman bowed to the older student appointed to be her mentor before collapsing to the ground in exhaustion.

"You've improved dramatically, Lucretzia," Maurice chuckled, holding out a hand to the young ninja. She took it and allowed the blonde, green-eyed student to haul her up from the forest floor. "Sensei will be very pleased."

"Thanks, Maurice," Lucretzia replied brightly before she frowned. "But I still don't know **why** Sensei insists on me training with the higher-ranked ninjas than kids my own age."

"Sensei believes that you have great potential and that you must be challenged in order to develop your ninjitsu skills," Maurice informed her. "It is not out of hate, but rather out of love that he does this. We who are closest to Sensei Kurahara are like his children, and he wishes nothing but the best for his children."

"You always know just what to say, don't you, Maurice?" Lucretzia said smiling. Maurice simply smiled back.

"Aww! Isn't **this** romantic?" mocked a deep, scary voice from behind them. The two students turned and saw a vicious-looking, horn-headed demon holding a two-pronged staff. His wrists were wrapped in chains, and surrounding him were creatures with bat wings coming out of the sides of their heads and their backs. Dressed in black and carrying swords, they looked like a black ocean.

"Loki?" growled Maurice as he and Lucretzia immediately went into a fighting stance. "I thought you were sealed in the tomb by the Sorcerer for all time!"

"Well, I guess he didn't do a good enough job of hiding the place, because thanks to a few, stupid humans, we're free!" Loki laughed.

"Geez. You'd think a freak with his bad looks would think twice before insulting somebody," Lucretzia said to Maurice.

"What'd you say, little girl?" Loki roared. "I'll destroy you!"

"Bring it on, demon breath!" Lucretzia shot back, motioning for them to do just what she'd said.

"Lucretzia, get back to the Academy and warn Sensei Kurahara!" Maurice ordered. "I'll hold off Loki and his friends!"

"Alone? No way!" Lucretzia shot back, planting her feet firmly in the ground.

"Listen to me: warn Sensei. It's the only way to protect the Sword of Sentai from the demons! You've never disobeyed me from the moment you were put under my care! Do not begin now! Do as I say!"

"But Maurice…!"

"NOW, Lucretzia! Before it's too late!" Lucretzia took one, long, last look at Maurice before nodding and ninja-streaking east towards the academy to warn Sensei and her friends.

But when she finally reached the school, she was shocked to see that many of the bat-like creatures she'd seen with the demon called Loki were battling her friends, her classmates. Just then, one of them attempted to grab her, but with a quick dragon punch and a front snap kick, it was down for the count. She sprinted through the chaos and down the halls of the ancient academy to Sensei Kurahara's chambers. She rolled back the sliding door and was horrified to see a golden-colored demon who looked even worse than Loki (and a hell of a lot scarier) standing over the beloved body of her Sensei. He turned around and saw the young ninja, who quickly retreated into a fighting stance.

"An intruder?" it growled.

"Keep away from Sensei!" Lucretzia snapped angrily.

"You think you can fight the mighty Diabolico, puny girl?" the demon chuckled darkly. "Your worthless sensei could not defeat me! But tell me where the Sword of Sentai is, and I may spare your miserable life!"

"I don't know!" Lucretzia snarled. "And even if I **did **know, I'd never tell you, Diabolico!"

"Then, you will perish!" Diabolico snarled before launching a fireball at her. She quickly dodged it as it hit the wooden wall behind her in the passageway and caused it to burst into flames. The flames began devouring the wood greedily. Lucretzia jumped back as the flames came shooting into Sensei's chamber. Diabolico laughed before he vanished from the room, leaving Sensei Kurahara on the floor.

"SENSEI!" Lucretzia screamed, rushing over to the elderly master of ninjitsu. He was weak, barely moving, and covered in bruises and cuts.

"Lucretzia?" he croaked.

"Yes, Sensei."

"You must…save yourself. And the sword."

"I'm not leaving without you, Sensei!"

"You must! Listen to me! Take this parchment," Sensei instructed, reaching into his robes and pulling out a rolled-up scroll, "and say the incantation. A portal will appear and take you directly inside Lightspeed."

"Lightspeed? What's Lightspeed?"

"Ask for Captain William Mitchell. He'll tell you what you are to do. Now, you must summon the Sword of Sentai."

"Summon it? But…but…I haven't seen that sword for almost five years! I don't know how to summon it!"

"Repeat this incantation: "By the elements of nature do I call thee forth, by the winds of the south and snow of the north. Let those who walk the true path now see, sword reveal thyself to me!""

"OK. I think I've got it."

"Good. Then, do it now! There isn't much time!"

""By the elements of nature do I call thee forth, by the winds of the south and the snow of the north. Let those who walk the true path now see, sword reveal thyself to me!"" There was a flash of green light, and then, the Sword of Sentai appeared, its long, deadly blade sheathed in its black case. The sword floated down from its position in the air and then landed in Lucretzia's outstretched hand.

"Now, open the portal and leave me, Lucretzia."

"No, Sensei!" With that, she scooped him up in her arms and then put him on her shoulder like a fireman would. Then, she took the piece of parchment from the belt of her student robes and unrolled it.

""For those in danger, seek good friends, for now this trouble shall not end. It matters not what nation or creed, open now a door to the place called Lightspeed."" A blue vortex immediately opened before her, and counting to three, she stepped through it with Sensei Kurahara on her shoulder and the Sword of Sentai in her hand.

* * *

_Lightspeed Aquabase_

"5000 years ago, this part of the earth was inhabited by evil spirits," Captain Mitchell explained to the four civilians and his daughter, who were gathered around the conference table. "Demons, if you will…whose only purpose was to destroy and conquer. Fortunately, there was a warlock who was strong enough to conquer them. Finally, the demons were captured and entombed. But we always feared that one day, they would escape. And would return to Mariner Bay. Well, it seems our fears have come true. Just hours ago, nomad travelers crossing through the desert discovered the tomb and released the demons back into our world."

"Lightspeed has developed technology and sophisticated weaponry that we believe can stop them," Captain Mitchell continued. "Because of your skills, you've been chosen to use these weapons to defend the city. To become Lightspeed Power Rangers."

"You built this whole…_Aquabase_ so that the four of us could fight off a bunch of angry demons?" Kelsey Winslow, the extreme sports athlete demanded incredulously.

"Well…that's putting it simply, but yes," Captain Mitchell replied.

"I heard ya out. I think you're nuts. I'm outta here!" Joel Rawlings, the "Sky Cowboy" declared, pushing back from the table. Just then, a blue vortex appeared close to the conference table. Everyone jumped back in shock…except for Captain Mitchell. Then, a young woman about 19 years old came through and stepped into the room. On her shoulder was an elderly man and in her hand was a long thing in a black case.

"Whoa!" Chad Lee breathed in amazement. Even Joel stopped and stared in shock.

"Captain Mitchell?" the young woman asked. She was African-American, with long, dark hair that was tied back in a ponytail, chestnut-colored eyes and was wearing some sort of robe with cotton pants underneath it.

"Yes?" Captain Mitchell answered, taking a step forward.

"My name is Lucretzia Solomon. And this is my Sensei: Sensei Kurahara. We need your help."

"That's it! I'm gone!" Joel shouted, heading for the door.

"Wait!" Carter Grayson exclaimed, stopping Joel in his tracks. "That explains it!"

"What?" Dana prodded.

"The fire. When I was saving that girl, I…I saw someone in the flames!" Carter explained. "It was one of them! One of the demons!"

"Father," Dana said simply to the man beside her.

"And two of them called Loki and Diabolico attacked our school," Lucretzia added. The man gave a groan and it was then that Captain Mitchell noticed who it was.

"Sensei!" he gasped, rushing over to Lucretzia. "Here. Let me help you get him down. Officer!" he called to the guard nearby. "Take this man to the infirmary on the double!" The guard quickly scooped Kurahara into his arms and carried him off. Lucretzia put the sword on the table. Just then, a beeping noise came and Mitchell quickly put on his ear piece. After a brief command, the screen in front of the six showed the demons attacking the innocent people of the city. Everyone was shocked and heartbroken, even Joel. This was real. Seeing those people reminded Lucretzia of Maurice, of Sensei Kurahara, of all the students of the Kōga Academy: they were all innocent and didn't deserve this.

"The city needs you," Captain Mitchell told them boldly. Lucretzia took a look at the serious faces of the five people in the room and wondered what had exactly been going on before her "entrance".

"I'm in, sir!" the blonde guy said bravely, standing.

"Me too," the brunette girl seconded, stand as well.

"I wanna help," the Asian guy added.

"Count me in as well!" Lucretzia declared. No one seemed to have heard her as the three at the table turned to Joel and stared at him.

"What do we do first?" the Black guy inquired.

Captain Mitchell opened a silver briefcase that lay on the table and turned it so that they could see six, identical, silver morphers inside the lining, all of them emblazoned with Lightspeed's crest.

"These are your Rescue Morphers," Captain Mitchell explained as Carter, Chad, Joel and Kelsey each took one. "They're worn on your wrist."

"Six?" the blonde girl asked, looking at the two, remaining morphers in the case.

"You are the fifth one. For 18 years, I've been training you for this. It's yours…if you want it," Captain Mitchell said, smiling at his daughter. Dana smiled and took the fifth one before standing beside the others.

"And the sixth one?" she prodded.

"The sixth…is for Lucretzia here."

"Huh?" Lucretzia asked, confused.

"**You** are to become the Sentai Power Ranger," Captain Mitchell informed her.

"**Me**? A Power Ranger?"

"Sensei Kurahara has been training you for this very purpose. You are now the Guardian of the Sword of Sentai. You were destined to become the Sentai Ranger."

"Destined? Me?"

"Yes. But I can explain later. Right now, you've got a city to protect." Lucretzia quickly picked up the last morpher and strapped it onto her left wrist like the others had done. She stood beside the blonde girl, who looked at her and smiled kindly. She mouthed "Dana" to her. Then, Dana led them down a corridor where they each grabbed a jacket. Lucretzia went around Dana and grabbed the one on the end.

"Whoa! That's tight!" the black guy exclaimed as they saw the huge jeep in front of them. Dana tossed the blonde guy the keys and all six clambered in. The ramp was lowered and, full headlights on, he drove quickly through the connecting tunnel and out onto the streets of Mariner Bay. They reached the trouble spot just in time to see the Batlings attacking the people of Mariner Bay. Lucretzia saw scenes from the academy attack playing through her mind as the blonde guy swerved to a hard stop.

"Let's go help those people!" the blonde guy commanded.

"Right!" the other five answered. Lucretzia leapt from the jeep and quickly pulled two Batlings away from a mother and child. Even with her ninja training, the Batlings were too strong and blocked her attacks before countering with their own. As she was slammed to the concrete, she looked up and saw civilians standing there, gaping.

"Get out of here! Get to safety!" she told them urgently, shooing them away. She watched as the blonde guy drove the jeep straight for a demon that was red and covered in flames. Fireballs shot repeatedly and finally, he swerved and slammed on the brakes thanks to the immense heat. Lucretzia, as she got back up and fought, saw that the others were doing just as badly as she was.

"They're too strong for us," Lucretzia heard the blonde guy say over the comm. link in their morphers.

"Rangers. Use your morphers," Captain Mitchell instructed. Everyone heard the command and nodded and rushed back to reform in a group.

"Hey, you with the hot temper!" Blondie shouted to the demon. It whipped around and growled. "You wanna destroy Mariner Bay? You'll have to go through us to do it!"

"Gladly!" it snarled, as the Batlings regrouped around it.

"You're about to wish you'd stayed in your tomb!" Lucretzia yelled.

"Ready?" Blondie asked, holding up his morpher.

"Ready," everyone replied, copying his move.

"Lightspeed! Rescue!" Pressing a button, they were morphed into Power Rangers. Flipping in the air, the six landed in sync in front of the demon and his crew. Lucretzia studied her new, violet suit and was quite impressed with the little toys and gadgets attached.

"Power Rangers?" the demon screeched.

"Alright!" Red exclaimed.

"It worked!" Blue cheered.

"This is incredible!" Yellow seconded.

"Mad cool!" Lucretzia breathed.

"This is just what we needed!" Red added, making a fist with his glove. "Let's get to work!"

After a unanimous battle cry, the six Power Rangers were back in the thick of the fighting.

"Now **this** is more like it!" Lucretzia declared as she blasted two Batlings with her Rescue Blaster and kicked another down.

"You got that right, girl!" Green crowed as he soared into the air and took out three Batlings with ease. "YEEHAW!" Then, Lucretzia saw Red dueling with the fire demon.

"Guys! Help Red!" she shouted to the other rangers. Blue and Dana got their first, firing their Rescue Blasters at the monster. Green, Yellow and Lucretzia got there just as the weakened monster stood for what would be the last time.

"Ready! Aim! And fire!" Red commanded. The six fired their Rescue Blasters at the fire demon and then, twirling them Western style, stowed them back in their holsters and turned just before the monster exploded. Lucretzia felt like she was in an action movie as the shock wave of the explosion rippled around them, but they stood firm in the midst of the damage.

"Lightspeed. Power down!" all six commanded before returning to their civilian form. Lucretzia was then mobbed by the grateful civilians they'd saved in the process, but her mind was somewhere else, but only Red noticed that she looked distracted.

* * *

Applause and handshakes greeted the Power Rangers back at the Aquabase. Lucretzia smiled, shook hands, and accepted hugs from the officers and crew as the six heroes made their way to Rescue Ops. However, once seeing the stern look on Captain Mitchell's face, everyone stood at attention, even Green.

"There is a time for celebrating," Captain Mitchell intoned seriously. "But this is not it. You see: now Diabolico knows that you exist. You think **this **fight was tough? Just wait!"

"But, Sir! We just destroyed Diabolico! Didn't we?" the Yellow Ranger asked.

"No," Lucretzia answered before Captain Mitchell could reply. Heads turned as her five, fighting companions looked at her in shock. "I've seen him before. That monster we just destroy wasn't him. Diabolico's twenty times worse!"

"She's right," Captain Mitchell confirmed. "That was just one of his monsters. "You wanna defeat Diabolico?" Captain Mitchell demanded. "You've got a lot of work to do! WE ALL DO!" Everyone quickly jumped back to attention and saluted the navy captain.

"I also want to welcome our Sentai Power Ranger to Lightspeed," Captain Mitchell said in a less serious tone. "And I want you to say your names so that there's no more confusion in battle."

The Red Power Ranger turned to Lucretzia. "Carter."

Blue came next. "Chad."

Then Green. "Joel. But you can also call me The Sky Cowboy!" Lucretzia couldn't help but giggle. He'd been the one who'd spoken to her briefly during the battle.

Then Yellow. "Kelsey."

Then Dana, who she knew was Pink. "Dana."

Then, Lucretzia turned to them. "Lucretzia. But you can just call me Luca if you want."

"Welcome to Lightspeed!" Carter told her happily as applause and cheers broke out. Her teammates and the crew at Lightspeed came forward to hug her and shake her hand and, as Captain Mitchell watched, he could see her face was lit up with a beautiful smile. Although he was smiling on the outside, on the inside, he was worried. She would have the hardest path of all the rangers. She was only a year older than Dana, and she would be in constant danger not only as a Power Ranger, but also as the Guardian of the Sword of Sentai. He sighed and turned away. He'd tell her all she needed to know tomorrow. Including the truth about Sensei Kurahara.

**So, not too long I hope! If I get enough positive feedback about this story, I'll update soon! Questions? Comments? Concerns?If not...review!**


	2. Chapter 2

Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue-A Ninja in Mariner Bay

Summary: Lucretzia Alexandra Solomon is a student of a ninja academy that has been warring with the demons for centuries. When they're released again, Lucretzia comes to help Lightspeed Rescue and protect an ancient sword that could spell the end of humanity if it falls into the demons' hands. But she didn't count on falling in love with her Captain's son. Little Carter X OC, Eventual Ryan X OC

**Hey! So, a big thanks to my solo reviewer Pink Lightspeed Ranger! Also thanks to lunarweather, i love all yaoi and Pink Lightspeed Ranger for adding my story to either Story Alert or your favorites! Anyways, hope you enjoy this next chapter and review!**

Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers or any of their characters! That belongs to Saban! All O/C belong to me (meaning Lucretzia, Sensei Kurahara and Maurice)!

Chapter Two-Lightspeed Teamwork

"These are your quarters," Dana told Lucretzia kindly. Lucretzia stepped inside and marveled at the comfortable bunk bed, the small closet with a mirror and the couch in the corner. On the wall was a pair of hooks where she placed the Sword of Sentai.

"Thanks, Dana," she replied gratefully, turning around and smiling at the blonde. "I…I'm kind of wondering how Sensei Kurahara is doing. Have you heard anything?"

"You'd have to speak to Captain Mitchell about that," Dana answered.

"Alright. I don't know who to tell this to. I kind of… don't have a lot of clothes. I couldn't really pack when the demons attacked our academy, so…"

"Don't worry. I can take you shopping tomorrow before your tour of the Aquabase. Lightspeed will cover the costs."

"Really? Thanks, Dana! Guess there** are** perks to being a Power Ranger beside the cool weapons!"

Dana laughed. "Yeah! Definitely!" Just then, Kelsey popped her head in.

"Hey, Luca!" she greeted. "How're you finding this place so far?"

"Two words, Kelsey: totally awesome!" Lucretzia crowed.

"Same!" Kelsey squealed back. "Hey! Why don't you have dinner in the galley with us tonight? You can hear more about us, and we can know more about you!"

"Sure! I'd love to!"

"Great!" Then Kelsey gave her a huge hug. "Welcome to Lightspeed, girl!" Then, she hurried out of the room followed by a chuckling Dana who waved before she left. Lucretzia sat on her bed in her student robes and smiled. Maybe being the Sentai Power Ranger wouldn't be so bad after all.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the Skull Cavern, Diabolico was furious at the appearance of the Power Rangers. They would be a constant thorn in his side, and he wanted to be rid of them for good.

"We must find the Power Rangers' base and destroy it!" Diabolico declared. "And them along with it!"

"I've already found it, but it's underwater!" Loki replied. "And you know what water does to us!"

"The Queen won't be pleased," Vypra observed.

"Mama!" tiny Impus said, sucking on his pacifier.

"Jinxer! Come here!" Diabolico commanded. The huge, fly-like spell caster appeared by his master's side. "I need a monster! But not just any old monster! I want a monster evil enough to wipe this whole city off the face of the Earth!"

"At once, Your Evilness!" Jinxer answered.

* * *

Back at the Aquabase the next day, Dana, Kelsey and Lucretzia were just coming back in, the Rescue Rover loaded with shopping bags from Mariner Bay Mall.

"**That **was seriously the most fun I've had shopping in a long time!" Kelsey giggled.

"That makes two of us!" Lucretzia seconded.

"Me too!" Dana added. The girls grabbed their shopping bags and quickly hurried off to their respective quarters to put away their stuff before the tour. Lucretzia stowed away most of her new clothes in her closet, but left out a pair of black, karate-styled pants and a red, off-the-shoulder top. She'd even managed to find four pairs of shoes, (one of them a pair of black heels), and slipped into her new, black flats. Then, she hurried off to Rescue Ops and found Dana, Kelsey, Chad and Carter with Captain Mitchell.

"Thank you for joining us, Lucretzia," Captain Mitchell told her in a strict tone. "You're just in time."

"Where's Joel?" she asked.

"I'll call him," Dana offered. She called him over the morpher.

"He says he's coming," Dana replied.

"We'll proceed without Joel," Captain Mitchell said as they walked into another room. "This is the Weapons Lab. Everything you'll use to defeat the demons is designed, built and tested right here!" Everyone jumped back when they peered into a huge tank of water and a man in scuba gear came out. Captain Mitchell smiled.

"Ah! I want you to meet the genius behind everything! From your Rescue Morphers to your newest weapons!" Captain Mitchell declared. "Rangers, this is Ms. Fairweather." A young, dark-haired woman wearing glasses and a white lab coat turned and smiled politely. She was wearing a black skirt, black stockings, and a blue top.

"Thank you, Captain," Ms. Fairweather replied in a soft voice. "Welcome to Lightspeed. Diabolico will stop at nothing to destroy the city. It's my job to make sure you stay one step ahead of him…and his monsters. Vincent?" she called to another scientist near a screen. He nodded and pressed a button and soon, the five were staring at six, train-like vehicles.

"Which is why we've developed this," Ms. Fairweather continued. "These are your Rail Rescues."

"Trains?" Kelsey asked, looking a little skeptical.

"Much more than trains, I assure you," Ms. Fairweather chuckled lightly. Just then, the alarm began blaring. Everyone quickly hurried to their stations. Captain Mitchell quickly put on his earpiece.

"What's happening?" he demanded.

"A molten rock has just hit the city! It's on-screen now, Sir!" Everyone watched what looked like a huge meteor in the center of the city.

"An asteroid?" Carter inquired.

"I'm betting on something a lot worse, Carter," Lucretzia countered.

"It's transforming!" Ms. Fairweather observed. After a few explosions, a huge, orange monster rose up from the rock, lava bubbling from its chest. Its shoulders looked like pieces of crystals you'd find in caves, and his eyes were red and evil. Fire surrounded it like an evil halo.

"It's time to put the Rail Rescues to work!" Captain Mitchell commanded.

"Yes, sir!" Carter answered firmly.

"Rail Rescues? I don't know if I'm ready," Chad said.

"Don't worry," Kelsey said reassuringly. "None of us are."

"They're programmed to assist you automatically," Ms. Fairweather said, patting Chad's shoulders. "You'll be fine."

"C'mon! Let's go!" Carter ordered. The five of them quickly took off for Rescue Ops.

"Wait a minute! What about Joel?" Lucretzia asked the others.

"That's right. Where **is** he?" Chad wondered as the five of them got on the ramp.

"Wait for me!" Joel cried, running onto the ramp just in time. He had a bouquet of flowers in his hand. Roses. At least he was original.

"I'm not even gonna **ask** what you were doing!" Lucretzia groaned at Joel.

"We're ready!" Carter said to the tech nearby. The ramp was lowered into the hold for the trains.

"Lightspeed! Rescue!" they cried and then morphed. The six rangers hurried into the locomotive and sat down.

"Amazing!" Carter breathed. "All systems online, Captain!"

"Train Bay to surface!" Captain Mitchell commanded. The Train Bay rose to the surface, followed by the tracks.

"Rail Rescues on track!" Carter commanded, pushing a lever forward. The locomotive and its five cars followed, attaching to each other automatically. The trains zoomed along the tracks, even bypassing a bullet train on its way downtown.

"There it is!" Kelsey shouted.

"He's firing!" Dana observed in horror as Magmavore fired more fireballs at the city, destroying buildings and sending people screaming and running for cover.

"Then, let's do some firing of our own!" Lucretzia declared, fist clenched. Carter pulled back on the lever and halted the Rail Rescues.

"Each ranger to their own Rail Rescue," Captain Mitchell ordered.

"Yes, sir!" they all responded, heading to their own rail cars.

"Pyro Rescue 1!" Carter declared, rolling out.

"Aqua Rescue 2!" Chad stated.

"Aero Rescue 3!" Joel crowed, before taking off. "I can't **wait **to try some stunts in this baby!"

"Joel! Stay focused!" Captain Mitchell reminded.

"Yes, sir!"

"Haz Rescue 4!" Kelsey said firmly.

"Med Rescue 5!" Dana shouted.

"Aerial Rescue 6!" Lucretzia intoned, taking off in her new helicopter. It was violet and black, and its huge, rotator blades were golden.

"Somebody help us!" voices screamed over their headsets. "Please! Help us! Somebody!"

"I'm picking up something from inside that building!" Carter informed the others. Using the infrared system in his helmet, Carter was able to see inside the burning building.

"There are people trapped in that elevator!" Captain Mitchell declared.

"Let's go get 'em, guys!" Carter commanded.

"I'm with ya!" Chad seconded.

"Count me in, too!" Lucretzia added.

"You got it!" Joel declared.

"That building's gonna collapse any second!" Lucretzia told them, doing a quick scan of the stability. "The lava's weakening the structure fast!"

"The building's surrounded by lava!" Chad cried.

"We need to cool that lava into rock!" Carter instructed. "Joel. You think you could get in there?"

"Are you kidding?" Joel exclaimed . "With this thing, I can go anywhere!"

"Joel! Hold on! You've got to work together!" Captain Mitchell commanded.

"I'm sure I've got enough power to do this alone!"

"Negative, Joel!"

"Says who?"

"Says the expert who designed it who's standing right next to me! You have to **combine** your rescue vehicles!"

"I can do it alone! But if it'll make you happy, I'll do it your way!" Joel lowered the magnetic clamps and then raised up Chad's Rail Rescue. Then, Dana and Kelsey turned their Rail Rescues into legs.

"That did it!" Kelsey cheered to Carter. "We've got a safe path!"

"Uh-oh!" Carter said. "I'm picking up more screams! They're coming from the west side of the building!"

"The west side? We'll never get there in time!" Dana said.

"Don't worry guys. I'm on it!" Lucretzia declared before taking off for the west side of the building. Quickly, she lowered herself down from Aerial Rescue 6 by a rope and was able to get in through a large hole in the side.

"Hello? Is anyone here?" she called as flames shot around her. Running through the building, she quickly found the mother and her small son lying on the ground, coughing heavily, almost unconscious.

"Let's get you guys out of here," she said, helping the mother up and cradling the child in her arms. Suddenly, there was another explosion and all three of them felt to the floor.

"We don't have much time," she observed. "The building's about to collapse!" Quickly, she guided them back to the awaiting Aerial Rescue helicopter.

"Rescue basket, lower!" she commanded. The basket lowered and then she helped the two inside it before climbing on it herself.

"Carter, Luca! Move it! The monster's back!" Joel warned. Lucretzia turned and saw Magmavore heading their way.

"Thanks for the heads-up, Joel!" Lucretzia replied as the basket was hoisted back into Aerial Rescue 6. "Let's get these people to safety, Carter!" She turned the helicopter around and sped off.

"We're almost out, guys," Carter informed them. Lucretzia watched as the monster drew closer and closer to them. She'd dropped off her passengers and was returning to help the others.

"He's getting too close!" Carter observed. He quickly retreated into Fire Rescue 1 and was reversing it when the building was smashed to bits and buried him in rubble. He tried to reverse, but couldn't. He was trapped.

"Carter!" Lucretzia screamed.

"Joel! Lucretzia! You're on it!" Captain Mitchell ordered.

"See, I've got another idea! If I…!"

"JUST OBEY THE ORDER!" Ms. Fairweather snarled.

"Whoa! Remind me **never **to get on your bad side, Ms. F!" chuckled Lucretzia. Aero Rescue 3 quickly lowered the clamps and hauled Carter's Rail Rescue out of harm's way as Magmavore took a swing at them.

"Lucretzia. Aerial Rescue 6 has lasers," Ms. Fairweather continued. "I think it's time to test them out!"

"Yes, ma'am!" Lucretzia replied. Then, she aimed for the monster. "Eat lasers, Magma-Breath!" Pressing a button, the guns lowered from the underbelly of the chopper and fired rapidly at the monster. Sparks flew from its body as it stumbled back and away from Joel and Carter.

"Thanks, Luca," Carter said gratefully. "You saved our necks."

"Anytime," she replied.

"Carter. Prep for Megazord Mode," Captain Mitchell instructed.

"At once, sir," Carter replied seriously, studying the schematic of how the six Rail Rescues would form a Megazord. "Here we go, Rangers! Megazord Mode! Lightspeed!"

"Lightspeed!" the others responded, saluting. After watching the others configure into the Megazord, Lucretzia piloted her chopper over to the Megazord. The blades lined into the arms while the rest of her Rail Rescue formed a pack on the back of the Megazord. She joined the other five rangers in the central command center and took her place behind Carter.

"We're locked! Ready?" Carter asked.

"Ready to take him down!" Joel replied.

"Let's get him!" Chad added. The Megazord moved forward and was immediately attacked by fireballs from Magmavore.

"You're going down!" Carter declared. "Power Thrusts online!" The Megazord's arms extended and the punches began.

"He came in through the air. Why don't we send him out that way!" Chad exclaimed.

"I like the way you think, Chad!" Lucretzia chuckled.

"Excellent idea!" Carter seconded. The Megazord arms grabbed Magmavore and picked up him.

"Hope you enjoy your flight!" Carter declared before throwing Magmavore into the air and watching as he smashed down and exploded.

"And please: **don't** come back again!" Lucretzia added.

"You are **so** corny!" Carter chuckled.

"Please! You love my humor!" Lucretzia shot back playfully. The others rangers laughed as the new Megazord stood proud against the skies.

"Woohoo! Now, **that** was an air show!" Joel hollered.

"Nice work, Carter!" Chad congratulated.

"No. Nice work **all** of us," Carter corrected. "We did it, guys!"

* * *

"The only way we're going to beat the demons is if we work as a team!" Carter said to Joel as the six of them walked along the hallway. "Like we did today!" Lucretzia could tell that Joel was used to being the one in the spotlight, pulling the "big stunts" and saving the day.

"There's no "I" in "team", Joel," Chad added.

"A single drop of water can be scattered with the flick of a finger. But a river is much harder to stop because all the drops work as one," Lucretzia intoned. After seeing the weird looks she got, she added, "My Sensei told me that."

"I know you're right, guys," Joel said, holding the flowers in his hand. "I'm gonna concentrate. No more goofing around." He handed the flowers to Chad, who looked confused.

"That's the spirit!" Carter said, clapping him on the shoulder. Just then, Joel's face became strangely still, and he was smiling. Lucretzia looked and saw Ms. Fairweather standing at the end of the hallway, talking to someone. Then, she looked back at Joel. It was obvious. Joel had a major crush on Ms. Fairweather. And she suspected that the flowers in Chad's hands were for her. Quickly, he hurried after her, snatching the flowers away from Chad.

"What's with him?" Carter asked. Chad shrugged.

"Boys!" Lucretzia groaned, looking at Dana and Kelsey. "They're all **so** clueless!"

"Agreed!" Dana and Kelsey chimed in together. The five of them quickly headed to the Weapons Lab and saw Joel talking with Ms. Fairweather, and Lucretzia had a strange feeling that Joel was going to mention the "expert" who'd ordered him to back off. She was right. Less than a minute later, Ms. F. stormed out of the Weapons Lab past the other rangers. Joel came out, his face incredulous, holding the flowers.

"She designed…?" Joel began.

"Everything," Carter finished, chuckling.

"From our morphers…" Dana said, holding out her left wrist.

"To our Zords," Lucretzia finished, smiling. All five rangers laughed and attempted to comfort Joel when Captain Mitchell came over the comm. link in their morphers.

"Lucretzia. Please come to my office!" Captain Mitchell commanded. "I need to speak with you!" Looking at the confused faces of her five teammates, Lucretzia found her way to Captain Mitchell's office. She stepped in and saw the Captain with his back to her.

"You wanted to see me, Captain?"

"Yes. Please sit down." She took a seat on the other side of his desk. Then, he turned around, his face grave, his eyes red as if he'd been crying.

"There's… no easy way to say this, Lucretzia."

"Sir?"

"It's Sensei Kurahara, Lucretzia. He…he…he's _dead_."

**Poor Lucretzia. Next chapter, there's more about Lucretzia than the actual Lightspeed episode. Also, turning up the heat with her and Carter (and throwing Dana into the mix! Ooo. Love triangle!) Anyways, reviews are greatly appreciated, so...review!**


	3. Chapter 3

Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue-A Ninja in Mariner Bay

Summary: Lucretzia Alexandra Solomon is a student of a ninja academy that has been warring with the demons for centuries. When they're released again, Lucretzia comes to help Lightspeed Rescue and protect an ancient sword that could spell the end of humanity if it falls into the demons' hands. But she didn't count on falling in love with her Captain's son. Little Carter X OC, Eventual Ryan X OC

**Hey! So, a big thanks to my reviewers Pink Lightspeed Ranger and DJ Scales ! Also thanks to CamaroDude1989 and DJ Scales for adding my story to either Story Alert and/or your favorites! Anyways, I'm so sorry that I've been gone so long, guys. I was more in the mood to write my other stories, but now I'm back and will try to update more regularly! Hope you enjoy this next chapter and if you have readers or know people on FanFiction, please tell them to at least look at my story!**

Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers or any of their characters! That belongs to Saban! All O/C belong to me (meaning Lucretzia, Sensei Kurahara and Maurice)!

Chapter Three-Trial by Fire

"_Dead_?" Lucretzia screeched. "He can't be! You're lying!"

"I'm sorry, Lucretzia," Captain Mitchell replied gravely, hanging his head. "He died this morning."

"This morning? Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't **anyone** tell me?"

"Because I didn't want to distract you from your duty to the city!"

"But I also had a duty to my master! To protect him! Diabolico! If I'd gotten there earlier! If I'd reached there in time, I could've…!"

"There was nothing you could've done that you didn't do. You didn't abandon him…even when he asked you to. You brought him here. You protected the Sword of Sentai. You became the Sentai Ranger."

"It's all worth nothing! My Sensei is dead because of that stupid prophecy! And because of me!"

"How much of The Prophecy do you know?"

"Only that long ago, the warlock who imprisoned the demons foresaw that they would return. Not only that but also, a young ninja would rise up and defeat Queen Bansheera. The ninja was also to protect the powerful, mystic sword the warlock was said to have used to drive them back before he sealed them in the tomb. But what does that have to do with Sensei Kurahara?"

"It has **everything** to do with Sensei Kurahara. He was a descendent of the warlock who imprisoned the demons."

"WHAT?"

"Yes. Not only a skilled martial arts warrior, but his ancestor was also a powerful warlock who waged war against the demons with his school of ninjas. It was only with the Sword of Sentai, crafted long ago by the four elemental spirits, that the demons were defeated. Before the warlock passed on, he charged the new Sensei, his brother, to guard the Sword of Sentai well. The Sword itself is a powerful combination of elemental and supernatural magic forged by the hand of an ancient magician who passed it on to the warlock."

"And that's why Diabolico wants it so badly. With control over the four elements, he could wipe out Mariner Bay in seconds! The world would be doomed!"

"Exactly."

"But what does this have to do with me? I mean, I only summoned the Sword."

"And that makes all the difference."

"What?"

"Only a descendent of the warlock could have the power to summon the sword. Even with an incantation, only a blood relative of the warlock could have summoned it successfully."

"So…you're saying **I'm** a descendent of the warlock?"

"Yes."

"How?"

"That brings me to another point. Sensei Kurahara never told you his real name because he wanted to keep you safe."

"His real name? What are you talking about?"

"Sensei Kurahara's **real** name…was Timothy Solomon."

"WHAT? Are you saying that Sensei Kurahara… was my… _father_?"

"Yes. When your mother died, he raised you amongst his students, but he changed his name to Kurahara so that, in case anything happened, no one would know that you and he were blood relatives."

"Who else knows about Sensei…I mean, Father?"

"Just your mother, myself and your trainer, Maurice."

"None of the demons knew?"

"They knew that it would stay in the Solomon family, but no. They didn't know that you existed."

"My Sensei, who's actually my father, is dead, my friends are either dead or scattered to the winds, and a bunch of vengeful demons are after a sword that could destroy the world. What should I do?"

"Stay here. Protect the city and the Sword. Defeat the demons. Fulfill The Prophecy." Lucretzia stood up and turned away, facing the door.

"It's what your father would've wanted for you," Captain Mitchell told her. There was a silence, and then she answered.

"Alright, Captain. I'll stay. But promise me that you won't tell the other Rangers about the Sword of Sentai. I want to tell them when the time is right."

"I promise, Lucretzia. I'll see you at the training grounds. Dismissed." With that, Lucretzia left the office and went to the Medical Bay to say goodbye to Sensei Kurahara, her father, before she left for training with the other rangers.

* * *

"Wow! Am I ever sore!" Lucretzia moaned as the six rangers walked back into the Aquabase. The training session had been intense, but at least it had taken her mind off of Sensei Kurahara. She wanted to start calling him Father, but in her mind, he'd always be Sensei Kurahara, the man who'd taken care of her like she was his own (and she actually **was** his own).

"Tell me about it!" Kelsey groaned. "I could sleep for a week!"

"I could sleep for a month," Carter added glumly. Lucretzia felt a pang of sympathy for the Red ranger. He'd gotten the fastest time, but had also gotten the lowest score. Captain Mitchell had given him a stern talking-to in front of the others. Carter was a great leader; she could see that as clear as day. But the captain was right. He needed to think before he acted. Suddenly, the entire base shook violently, sending the rangers tumbling to the floor.

"An earthquake?" Chad asked as it came again.

"No. It's something else," Lucretzia concluded, leaping to her feet. "Let's get to the Transport Bay and go find out what it is!"

"Right!" the others agreed, grabbing their jackets and hurrying into the Rescue Rover. Carter put on the headlights and drove through the connecting tunnel to the surface. In an underground room, the six saw Batlings with spikes and hammers, pounding them against the ground. At the top of the stairs stood a female demon with wings on her back. She wore silver and black battle armor and had long, scarlet-colored fingernails. In her right hand was a sword.

"So **that's** what's causing the earthquakes!" Lucretzia whispered to the others.

"Let's put a stop to it!" Carter declared.

"Faster!" the female demon commanded. "I'll destroy Mariner Bay with an earthquake!"

"Not if we have anything to say about it!" Carter declared as the six stepped out of the shadows.

"Welcome, Power Rangers! I am Vypra!" the female demon chuckled. "I'm pleased we've finally met…so I can destroy you!"

"Sorry to disappoint you, Vypra! But your plans are about to get a little…_shook up_!" Lucretzia fired back, taking a step forward and holding up her left wrist. The others followed suit.

"Ready guys?" Lucretzia shouted.

"Ready!" the others chorused.

"Lightspeed! Rescue!" they shouted and morphed.

"Batlings! Destroy them!" Vypra commanded. Lucretzia took out five Batlings hand-to-hand before hurrying to help Carter with Vypra. She leapt into the air and landed a kick that sent the female demon crashing into the wall.

"You OK, Carter?" Lucretzia asked, kneeling next to the Red Ranger.

"Yeah. I'm fine," he answered, getting back on his feet.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the Guardian!" Vypra chuckled darkly. "Where's the Sword of Sentai, little Solomon? I know you have it!" Lucretzia was shocked and took a step back. How did Vypra know who she was? Captain Mitchell said that none of the demons knew that she existed. Or that she was next in line as the Guardian of the Sword of Sentai.

"What sword?" Carter demanded.

"You mean you haven't told them yet?" Vypra said mockingly to Lucretzia. "And I thought you were all friends!"

"Luca. What is she talking about?" Carter asked, turning to the Purple Ranger.

"I'll explain later, Carter. Trust me," Lucretzia replied as she took out her Rescue Blaster and converted it into Baton Mode. "The Sword stays with me, Vypra! You can't have it!" With that, she rushed at Vypra and began dueling her with her Baton. Vypra's sword clashed with hers and the two stared eye to visor.

"You and your pals aren't going to destroy this city today, Vypra!" Lucretzia snarled.

"We'll see about that, Guardian!" Vypra hissed back before kicking Lucretzia back into Carter and running up the stairs. When she landed against his body and felt his arms wrap around her waist, she feel warmth wash over her, as if his touch reassured her that he would always look out for her.

"You OK?" Carter asked her.

"Yeah. Thanks," Lucretzia replied.

"C'mon. Let's go after her!"

"Right!" Together, the two Rangers followed the fleeing Vypra into a parking garage nearby. The demon turned and snarled as the people in the garage screamed and stood in shock at the sight of her.

"Get out of my way!" she snarled, blasting blue lasers at them with her sword. People screamed and fell to the ground, desperate to avoid being hit or just barely missing death. A mother and her young son were standing as still as statues. Vypra grinned wickedly and began approaching them.

"That's enough!" Carter shouted, leaping in between the mother and child. Vypra snarled and battled Carter as Lucretzia helped the people in the parking garage escape from the battle. Suddenly, she felt the building shake violently and chunks of the concrete ceiling began to buckle and small bits began to fall onto parked cars. Lucretzia hurried over to where the mother and child stood and watched as Carter leveled his Rescue Blaster straight at Vypra.

"Put down your weapon! Nice and easy!" Carter ordered. The female demon backed towards the wall near where some objects were covered up by a large tarp. Lucretzia saw Vypra's face and the demon was smiling. What the heck was she planning?

"I'm not going to tell you again!" Carter snapped.

"Take this!" Vypra yelled, pointing her sword at the floor. It burst into flames, and with an evil laugh, she vanished in a blue ribbon of flames. Just then, Lucretzia heard something cracking and whipped her head up to see the ceiling splitting.

"Luca! The ceiling's coming down! There are people in trouble! They need my help," Carter said over the comm. link.

"No, Carter. Put out the fire first," Captain Mitchell commanded. "Lucretzia, get those people out of there!"

"Negative, sir. There's no time. I've gotta help them!" Carter countered.

"Just do it!"

"OK. I'll do it." Switching his Rescue Blaster, he extinguished the fire.

"C'mon, you guys! Let's go!" Luca told them, but just as they started to move, the little boy dropped his toy airplane on the ground.

"Wait! My plane!" the boy shouted, bending down to pick it up. Lucretzia and the mother hurried back to him, but just then, the ceiling gave way.

"Get out of the way!" Carter shouted, running towards the three.

The mother screamed as Lucretzia threw herself onto the little boy as chunks of concrete came crashing down. Something large and heavy struck Lucretzia hard in the head and the last thing she saw was the little boy's plane crash to the floor. Then, the world went dark.

* * *

Carter's POV

I had just finished putting out the fire when I heard something crack. I looked and saw the ceiling crashing down. Lucretzia and the boy and his mother were still there.

"Get out of the way!" I shouted, running towards them. The mother screamed as the ceiling came crashing down. I saw Lucretzia throw herself onto the little boy as concrete chunks struck her and a large piece caught the child in the head. By the time I got there, Lucretzia was lying on the ground, demorphed, her body still atop the unconscious form of the little boy. She was bruised and battered, bleeding from several cuts.

"Baby! Say something!" the mother screamed, kneeling at her son's head and crying. I felt like kicking myself. This was all my fault. Why had I listened to Captain Mitchell? If I'd gotten them out first, that little boy and Lucretzia wouldn't have gotten hurt. Just then, the others came hurrying in. Dana put her ear against his mouth and then quickly scooped up the little boy in her arms.

"We need to get him to a hospital! I'll call an ambulance!" she said, hurrying out with the child, the mother right on her heels.

"Carter! What happened?" Joel asked. I couldn't answer him as I watched Chad scoop Lucretzia into his arms. Luca was my teammate, and I'd let her down. I'd been able to catch her when Vypra kicked her back into me, but I couldn't even protect her when she needed me the most. Some leader **I** was! I simply pushed past Joel and hurried back to the Aquabase.

* * *

_Lucretzia was in a forest, the trees tall and majestic. There were rocks and plants scattered all over the place. It was tranquil, peaceful. Suddenly, a mist began rolling in. It wasn't thick like the London fog she'd heard about from one of the students at the Kōga Academy, but it was thick enough to get her into a fighting stance. Especially since she saw a figure walking in the mist towards her._

_"Who's there?" she called out bravely. The figure stopped, its height betrayed by its shadow in the mist._

_"You ask such a question of me, Lucretzia?" it asked. The voice it spoke in was serene and calm. And Lucretzia felt as though she'd heard it somewhere before._

_"How do you know my name?" she demanded. _

_"I could never forget your name, my child," the figure chuckled. Lucretzia's eyes widened as the figure stepped out from behind the curtain of mist. It was a man with a grey beard and black-grey hair wearing robes of red and brown with wide sleeves._

_"Sensei?" Lucretzia gasped. Sensei Kurahara chuckled again as he walked towards her._

_"But I don't understand!" Lucretzia blurted out. "How are you here? You **can't** be here! You supposed to be…!"_

_"Dead?" Sensei Kurahara finished. Lucretzia snapped her mouth closed and looked down at the dirt. Sensei put a hand under her chin and lifted her head so that their eyes met._

_"Fret not, daughter," he told her kindly. Daughter. He'd called her daughter. He noticed the shock in her eyes and immediately felt a twinge of guilt. A secret such as the one he'd carried for all this time shouldn't have been kept from her. On the other hand, he'd done it to protect her._

_"I suppose Captain Mitchell has told you the truth about your…parentage," Sensei said, feeling a tad bit awkward._

_"Why didn't you ever tell me you were my father?"_

_"I knew the demons would rise again and that they would destroy me, thinking that I had no seed to carry on Guardianship of the Sword of Sentai. Also, I knew that some at the academy would become envious of you and make your training all that much more difficult with their petty jealousies if they knew I was your father. But just because I never told you who you were, Lucretzia, doesn't mean that I love you any less."_

_"Well, you were wrong, Sensei…er, father! The demons know about me! One of them knows that I'm the Guardian of the Sword of Sentai! And you can be sure the rest of them know, too!"_

_"But who could've told them?"_

_"The only people who knew were you, Captain Mitchell, Mother, and…Maurice! Loki was in the forest when Maurice was training me! He told me to run back to the academy and warn you. Loki must've captured Maurice and tortured him into giving them the information they wanted! Oh, Father! What am I going to do?"_

_"Those dishonorable creatures must not get the sword, Lucretzia! I've trained you well, my child! The only thing left for you to learn is to access the powers of the Sword of Sentai!"_

_"Access its powers? But…but why?"_

_"So that you can use them to defeat Queen Bansheera and her demons!"_

_"Sensei. Father. I…I can't!"_

_"You summoned the sword when we escaped the academy. You are its Guardian. It is not only your duty to protect it, but also to master its elemental and magical powers! It is the only way to defeat the demons and Queen Bansheera!"_

_"I can't do this, Sensei! I'm not even sure that I'm cut out to be a Power Ranger, especially the Sentai Power Ranger!"_

_"**I **am sure of it. The blood of the warlock flows through your veins, Lucretzia Alexandra Solomon. You were destined for this, daughter! All of it: being the Sentai Power Ranger, mastering its powers, and defeating that horrid demon queen and her minions of evil!"_

_"B…b…but…who'll teach me?"_

_"Though my body no longer resides in the world of the living, it does not hinder my spirit from roaming the Earth freely to aide those who need it. **I** will teach you, my child." He smiled. "You know something? You have your mother's eyes. I remember them: brown and full of life and energy. You look so much like her, Lucretzia my daughter." Happy tears sprung to her eyes and, like a loving father, Sensei wiped them away with his thumbs. Just then, the mist began to reappear, thicker than before. Sensei Kurahara smiled and stepped back into the mist._

_"Don't leave me, Father! Please don't leave me!" Lucretzia begged, stumbling forward._

_"I will always be with you, my child!" Sensei Kurahara replied._

_"Wait! Did all of this happen in my head?" Lucretzia shouted as her father's figure began to fade away._

_"Of course, my child!" Sensei shouted before he vanished. "But why should that mean that it isn't true?"_

* * *

Lucretzia's eyes flickered open and she saw the white walls of a room. Beside her, she heard something beeping consistently. Sitting up, she moaned and flopped back down onto a bed as a sharp jab of pain pierced her back. Turning her head, she saw an EKG and noticed the large window and a chair by her bedside. She was in a hospital. Just then, the door to the room opened and in walked Carter holding a bouquet of flowers.

"Hey! You're awake!" Carter said joyfully, smiling. Lucretzia smiled back as he sat down in the chair beside her.

"How long have I've been out?" she asked him.

"Over eight hours. You really gave everyone a real scare there, you know Luca."

"Carter, I'm sorry."

"Sorry? What do you have to be sorry for? You saved that little boy. And things could've ended a lot worse if I hadn't obeyed Captain Mitchell."

"What're you talking about?"

"Well, when I went back after yelling at Captain Mitchell, I saw canisters of explosive fuel under that tarp in the corner. If I hadn't put out the fire, a lot of people would've been hurt badly. Captain Mitchell was right. Sometimes, the obvious choice is the wrong choice."

"So, what about Vypra?"

"We destroyed the spikes and stopped her plans. But then, we had to battle a huge monster with the Megazord."

"Aw, man! I missed a Zord battle? Damn it!" Carter chuckled and then his face became serious.

"Speaking of Vypra, what **was** that whole sword thing she mentioned about?"

"Carter, I…I'm not ready to talk about that. Not yet."

"Alright. But when you are, you can tell me anything, Luca. You know you can trust me, right?"

"Of course. You're my teammate, Carter Grayson. I trust you."

"Good. Now, there's someone outside who's dying to see you."

"Kinda the wrong place to use the word "dying", Carter, don't ya think?"

"Oops. Sorry." He got up, crossed the room and opened the door. The little boy from the parking garage came in, dressed in a hospital gown and robe, his head wrapped in gauze. He approached the bed, holding a new, toy airplane. And from the way Carter was smiling at him, he'd bought the toy for the boy.

"Hey there, little guy," Lucretzia greeted as the little boy stood at her bedside. "How're you feeling?"

"Better, thanks to you and Carter," he replied. "Thank you for saving me." With that, he reached over and gave her a big hug which she returned.

"You're welcome. Now, who got you that neat toy?"

"Carter did! When I grow up, I wanna be just like him!" Lucretzia smiled at the Red Ranger and Carter blushed.

"I think that's a fine goal, little man," Lucretzia chuckled. Just then, Carter picked him up and stood over Lucretzia's bedside, listening to Lucretzia recount what had happened while she was unconscious. And from a distance, Captain William Mitchell stood and watched the happy scene play out with two of his best rangers.

"Have a happy day while you can, Lucretzia," he whispered. "The road doesn't get any easier from here on out." Then, he turned and walked through the doors, vanishing like a ghost.

***collapses.* Phew! Finally! So, the demons got their information from Maurice. Is he still alive? Will Lucretzia master the Sword's powers? And what about her and a certain Red Ranger? You'll just have to keep reading to find out! Reviews feed my creativity, guys, so please leave a review if you want this story to continue! Starting...now!**


	4. Chapter 4

Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue-A Ninja in Mariner Bay

Summary: Lucretzia Alexandra Solomon is a student of a ninja academy that has been warring with the demons for centuries. When they're released again, Lucretzia comes to help Lightspeed Rescue and protect an ancient sword that could spell the end of humanity if it falls into the demons' hands. But she didn't count on falling in love with her Captain's son. Little Carter X OC, Eventual Ryan X OC

**Hey! So, a big thanks to my reviewers Pink Lightspeed Ranger, DJ Scales and Aaron "CyberV" Thall! So, if you guys have readers or have friends on FanFiction, _please_ encourage them to check out this story! Also, thanks to Pink Lightspeed Ranger for adding me to your fav author, fav story and story alert! So, Pink Lightspeed Ranger has suggested that I add her characters into my story, and now, you get to meet her awesome character, Jane in this chapter! So, keep reading. Also, I'm changing Lucretzia's Ranger name to Shiro Ranger. Thoughts on that? And this chapter is from Lucretzia's point of view as suggested by DJ Scales. Enjoy!  
**

Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers or any of their characters! That belongs to Saban! Jane and Austin belong to Pink Lightspeed Ranger! All O/C belong to me (meaning Lucretzia, Sensei Kurahara and Maurice)!

Chapter Four-Riding the Edge

Lucretzia's POV

"Come on, Lucretzia! Faster!" Kelsey laughed as she and I roller-bladed through the streets of Mariner Bay. I groaned and immediately sped up, trying to keep up with the quick speed of Kelsey.

"Some of us didn't train as extreme sports athletes since birth you know, Kelsey!" I joked as we continued rollerblading. It had been a quiet day so far, the first in a while. After being released from the hospital, Kelsey had suggested that the best way for me to get back in fighting shape was some exercise. What I hadn't known was how crazy Kelsey could be. Grinding on railings and park benches and doing flips and high jumps, she fit the definition of "crazy" to a T.

But even rollerblading and watching Kelsey being her crazy, fun-loving self couldn't drive the questions I had about the dream I'd had in my mind about my father, Sensei Kurahara. How could he teach me when I was a Power Ranger and had a duty to the city? Was I even capable of mastering the Sword of Sentai's powers? And where was Maurice? Was he dead or alive? Had the demons tortured him beyond the usual boundaries of evil?

"Help! Somebody, please help!" we heard a woman shout. Kelsey and I looked at each other and quickly bladed towards the street. A blond-haired woman was being held back on the sidewalk, and a little dog was sitting in the middle of the street with a car coming straight towards it. I heard the screeching of tires but it didn't look like it was going to stop in time. Kelsey quickly leaped over the hood of a parked car and skated towards the puppy, snatching it up before the driver of the car swerved to avoid hitting them. I breathed a sigh of relief.

"I got her!" Kelsey shouted, holding the puppy. Just then, I heard the honking of a truck horn.

"Kelsey!" I yelled, pointing at the oncoming truck.

"Look out!" the blond-haired dog-owner screamed. Kelsey quickly ducked and skated under the trailer of the truck and jumped onto the other side of the street. She wobbled a bit, but then regained her balance and flashed us a thumbs-up.

"Dorsey!" the woman cried happily, hurrying with a small group of civilians to the other side of the street. I assumed that Dorsey was the name of the dog Kelsey had just rescued. I skated close behind them and managed to get onto the curb without incident. Kelsey handed the woman back her puppy.

"Oh Dorsey!" she said, scratching behind the puppy's ears. "Thank you so much!"

"No problem!" Kelsey replied.

"I'm Nancy," the blond woman said. "And this is Dorsey."

"I'm Kelsey," Kelsey told them. "Nice to meet you both." Then, she noticed me standing there. "And this is my friend, Lucretzia."

"Hi," I said, smiling at Nancy and her puppy.

"Nice to meet the both of you, too," Nancy told us. "Gosh! You must be really crazy!" she said to Kelsey. "But I'm very glad you are!"

"Crazy is my middle name," Kelsey chuckled.

"Trust me. I can attest to that," I added, snickering. Nancy smiled and laughed a little while patting her puppy.

"Well, we've gotta go," Kelsey said. Nancy looked up and seemed a little disappointed. "Nice to meet you, Nancy. See ya later, Dorsey. Come on, Luca! I'll race ya!"

"Do you **really** want me to embarrass you, Kelsey?" I teased as we skated off. We turned and waved goodbye to Nancy and Dorsey, and then raced back to the Aquabase. Needless to say, Kelsey won. But not by much.

* * *

_Meanwhile at the Skull Cavern_

"I've grown tired of these pesky Power Rangers!" growled Diabolico, clenching his fists. "It's time to reclaim Mariner Bay! Then we can finally rebuild our palace!"

"Diabolico, let **me** go take care of them!" Loki offered.

"I wouldn't if I were you," Vypra countered. "We need a monster that the Rangers can't even get close to!"

"What do you mean?" Loki demanded, angry at possibly losing the chance of proving himself capable of destroying the Rangers himself.

"She's right!" Diabolico snarled. "Vypra. You've just given me an incredible idea! Jinxer!" he shouted, summoning the fly-like spell caster to his side. "Time to create!"

"What did you have in mind?" Jinxer inquired.

"Something that will blow **everyone** away!" he replied, handing Jinxer a monster card.

"My pleasure," the spell caster replied, throwing the card into the mystic monster creator. "Tornado winds blow from the east. Transform this card to a monstrous beast!" There was a flash of gold lightning as the Monster Portal began to create the creature.

"Yes!" Diabolico declared.

"Uh!" Loki said, taking a step back. Vypra simply crossed her arms over her chest and watched Jinxer.

"Bring us a demon that will make the Queen proud!" Jinxer continued.

"Mama!" tiny Impus said.

"NOW!" Jinxer finished, crossing his hands. There was a swirling red light that then transformed into a dark-colored demon with golden-colored, curved horns and fangs along with two, huge flaps at the sides of his head.

"You're absolutely perfect!" Diabolico declared.

"Whirrlin at your service!" the demon announced, awaiting his orders.

* * *

Back to Lucretzia's POV

"Rangers. There's someone I'd like you to meet," Captain Mitchell said. All of us were seated around the same meeting table that we'd been at when we first became Power Rangers. But now, there was a tall, dark-haired girl who resembled Captain Mitchell a lot sitting beside Dana. She was wearing a soccer jersey as well as a pair of jeans and a silver Rescue Morpher. For some strange reason, I looked at Dana and saw her smiling. She probably knew what was going on. Being Captain Mitchell's daughter, she obviously knew just as much about Lightspeed as he did.

"This is my younger daughter, Jane," Captain Mitchell said, putting his hands on the girl's shoulders. "She'll be joining the team as the Orange Power Ranger."

"Hi, everyone," Jane said. I could tell by the slight tremor in her voice that she was a little nervous. She looked no older than seventeen, but she probably had a skill that was valuable to the team's efforts against the demons. Besides, she looked nice.

"No way! This is so cool!" Kelsey shouted happily.

"Welcome to Lightspeed," Carter greeted, smiling.

"Nice to meet you," Chad said politely, smiling kindly.

"What's up girl?" Joel said.

"Congratulations, Jane," Dana said to her younger sister.

"Welcome to the team," I told her. She smiled and then looked down. I looked at Dana and saw a proud, sisterly smile on her face.

"Now, I'll leave all of you to get acquainted. Dismissed," Captain Mitchell told us. We left the conference room and the guys stopped off at their room to do something while Jane, Kelsey, Dana and I went to Dana and Kelsey's room.

"So, Jane. Have you been here at the Aquabase before?" I asked her, trying to break the ice.

"Yeah. I work around here when I'm not busy with school, soccer or paramedic training," Jane answered.

"You wanna be a paramedic? That's so cool!" Kelsey exclaimed. Jane blushed again.

"Well, I'm sure you'll make a great one," I told her. "Besides," I added, smiling at Dana. "You've got a great example to follow."

"Thanks," Jane said, looking a little more at ease. Kelsey turned on the TV and we quickly sat down to watch the news. Well, Jane, Kelsey and I did. Dana was eating some pretzels and reading a magazine.

"We bring you this special report from Live5 News," a male newscaster said.

"In the news today, Mariner Bay's Space Development Program is launching its new shuttle," the female anchor reported, showing a picture of the space shuttle. "Preparations are underway as the spokesman for the program has announced the shuttle flight will launch a low-orbit satellite. This mission will be flown by first-time pilot, Nancy Cooper. Ms. Cooper is a graduate of Mariner Bay's own Flight Academy and graduated first in her class."

"Kelsey, look! It's her!" I shouted, pointing to the picture of Nancy and Dorsey.

"That girl! That's Nancy!" Kelsey breathed, pulling up a stool and scooting closer to the TV. Dana looked confused. "The girl we told you about! With the puppy!" Kelsey added. Just then the door opened and Carter, Chad and Joel walked into the room.

"Hey! You guys ready to go?" Joel asked, patting Kelsey and Lucretzia on the shoulder.

"Wait a sec. Kelsey's friend's on TV," Dana said. Joel picked up a pretzel and started nibbling on it.

"10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1and…liftoff!" the announcer declared as a video of the shuttle with Nancy piloting it was shown taking off for outer space.

"This mission will spend only a quick four hours in space, where it will run several; ship maneuvers and vacuum tests which have been strategically mapped out as well as launching the satellite. What a sight!" Just then, Joel's morpher beeped.

"Go," Joel said.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we've got trouble," Captain Mitchell informed them.

"Can it wait, Sir?" Joel asked. "We're watching the…!"

"Joel!" Captain Mitchell said in a warning tone.

"I mean…we'll be right there, Sir!" Joel said. We all got up and headed for Rescue Ops. Grabbing our jackets, Jane's one being the sixth one with an orange stripe, we all piled in to the Rescue Rover and headed out to see what was going on. We arrived at the scene morphed and ready to go. There was a huge tornado blowing objects around. The strong winds were affecting us as well, but that didn't mean that we weren't going to do our job.

"This is crazy!" Carter said. "Everyone get inside!" he ordered as we all rushed to help the civilians to shelter away from this tornado. Just then, a man was about to be swept away by the tornado, but Kelsey jumped in the air and caught him before I helped him to safety. Just then, the tornado vanished and fiery image of Diabolico appeared in the sky, laughing evilly. I gritted my teeth underneath my visor, remembering the last time I'd met the demon and what he'd taken away from me forever.

"**You**!" I growled at the demon, clenching my fists tightly.

"Luca! You know this guy?" Chad asked as everyone looked up.

"What's that?" Carter asked.

"That's Diabolico," Jane answered. "He's Queen Bansheera's second-in-command and the strongest of her demon servants. He's bad news, you guys."

"How did you know that?" Kelsey inquired.

"I-I've studied the demons a lot," Jane replied.

"Then it's a good thing you're here, Jane," I told her.

"HAHA! You are right, puny Ranger! I am Diabolico!" Diabolico declared.

"What do you want from us?" Carter demanded.

"I have come to destroy you precious city and restore Queen Bansheera's magnificent palace!" Diabolico said. "And as for what I want from you other than your destruction, I want the Sword of Sentai and its Guardian! **Her!**" He pointed at me. I shivered slightly as all eyes turned on me.

"What's he babbling about, Luca?" Joel inquired.

"I'll explain it later, Joel," I told him. Then, I turned back to Diabolico. "You murdered my Sensei, Diabolico, and you **will** pay for it! And as long as I live, you'll **never** get you filthy claws on the Sword of Sentai, do you hear me? Never!"

"We'll see about that, little Guardian," he laughed before he vanished. My teeth were practically grinding against each other.

"Wait!" Carter shouted, but then the tornado returned and pushed us back, wreaking havoc and destruction by the waterfront piers.

"C'mon guys! We've gotta stop him!" Carter shouted. We followed his lead and headed after the tornado. We followed it until we were in the midst of some huge, cargo containers. The tornado was right in front of us.

"Scanner online!" Carter said. Then, after scanning it, "He's in the tornado! Rescue Blaster!" Three shots later, the tornado vanished and the monster landed on his feet in front of us.

"That's Whirrlin," Jane told us. "He's a wind demon. I'd say he's nothing but a wind bag, but he's strong and can destroy an entire city in a matter of hours!"

"Then we end his little reign of terror here and now!" I declared, clenching my fist.

"Don't you know that you can't stop me?" Whirrlin declared, smoking slightly from the hits he'd taken from Carter's Rescue Blaster.

"Save your breath! My friends and I **will** stop you!" Carter shot back. "That's a promise!"

"So it's friends that you want, is it? Well, meet some of mine!" Whirrlin shouted as a horde of Batlings materialized from the ground.

"Whoa. He's got a **lot** of friends," Chad observed.

"But we've got each other!" Carter reminded them.

"Batlings! Destroy them!" Whirrlin ordered. Drawing their swords, the Batlings hurried forward.

"Rescue Blasters! Baton Mode!" Carter declared, converting his weapon. We all followed suit and leapt forward into battle. Slicing through Batlings left and right, I turned and saw that Jane was doing pretty well for her first day as the Orange Ranger. Then, I turned and saw Carter was having a tough time with Whirrlin. After he was thrown aside, I converted my Rescue Blaster back to its original mode and fired it at Whirrlin. Rushing in, I leapt into the air and delivered a kick that sent the demon stumbling back. I hurried over to Carter and helped him up.

"Carter! Are you OK?" I asked. His arm was draped around my neck as he staggered upright. I put my arm around his waist until he regained his balance.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks, Luca," Carter replied. Even with our visors down, I could feel his eyes looking straight into mine, almost mesmerizing me. There was something too about his voice that made me blush beneath my visor. What was going on with me? Why was I acting this way around him? Just then, Whirrlin shot a beam of energy at us, which hit the both of us, sending us flying to the ground.

"Oh no! Carter and Luca are down!" Chad said as the other five Rangers hurried over. I felt hands helping me up.

"Are you OK, Lucretzia?" Jane asked me. She and her sister each held one of my arms and Kelsey was standing nearby.

"I'm alright, Jane. Thanks, Jane. Dana," I answered. Just then, Whirrlin shot another blast of energy at us that hit everyone and sent us all to the ground.

"I'm starting to get **really** sick of this!" Lucretzia groaned angrily.

"Rescue Blasters! Fire!" Carter ordered. Everyone drew their blasters and, from our positions on the ground, fired multiple shots that weakened the demon.

"I'll be back!" Whirrlin growled before he transformed into the tornado again.

"We can't let him get away!" I shouted.

"And we won't!" Carter replied firmly. "Rescue Bird!" The Rescue Bird came soaring towards us. "Separate!" The flying weapon separated into seven different parts that we all helped put together.

"Unilaser mode!" Carter declared, aiming for the tornado. I held on to Joel's shoulder as we all formed a V behind Carter. "Let's do it!"

"Ready!" Jane, Dana and Kelsey shouted.

"Aim!" Joel, Chad and I said.

"And fire!" Carter finished as the powerful laser that combined all our Ranger powers was shot from the Rescue Bird straight at Whirrlin. It was a direct hit, and the demon was destroyed, the pieces falling to the ground.

"Yeah!" Carter cheered. "Looks like the weather's clearing up!"

"Rangers!" Captain Mitchell's voice came in through the radios in their helmets.

"Go, Sir," Kelsey told him.

"The space shuttle is in trouble. The tornado hit the shuttle pretty hard. There's a lot of damage. We don't think she's gonna be able to land on her own."

"Nancy's in there!" Kelsey gasped. Joel put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry, Kelsey! Captain Mitchell! I can help out with Aero Rescue 3!" Joel replied.

"You can't do it alone, Joel! You won't be able to land safely! You'll both crash!" Captain Mitchell countered.

"We've gotta do something!" Joel snapped.

"Wait! I've got an idea of what to do!" Kelsey shouted.

"Great! Let's hear it!" Carter said eagerly.

"I'd tell you, but you'd think I was crazy," Kelsey replied. Then, she turned around. "Rescue Zords, mobilize!" Soon, the Rail Rescues arrived. There were seven of them this time.

"Lucretzia, you take Land Rescue 7," Captain Mitchell instructed. "Jane will pilot Copter Rescue 6."

"No problem, Captain," I replied. "Good luck, Jane. You can do it. I know you can," I told the newest ranger.

"Thanks, Lucretzia. That means a lot," Jane said to me.

"Let's hit it!" Joel declared as we all ran towards the Rail Rescues and then separated into our respective Rescue Zords. I saw that my new Rescue Zord was a large, white, military styled jeep that came with lasers, satellite, huge tires, water guns, two, huge claws at the side that could lift and remove heavy objects, and a retractable steel cable that was housed on the front bumper. I smiled. I **had** to remember to thank Miss Fairweather for this toy later. But right now, I had a job to do.

"You call the shots, Kelsey!" Carter told her as we all rolled out in our Rescue Zords.

"Joel! Jane! Locate the shuttle!" Kelsey instructed as the two planes rolled out.

"You got it, Kelsey!" Joel declared.

"We're on it!" Jane added as she and Joel took off to locate the troubled shuttle.

"Follow me, you guys!" Kelsey told Dana and me as she headed for the freeway.

"You got it!" we both replied as we followed her.

"Hello space shuttle! This is Aero Rescue 3 and Copter Rescue 6 at your service!" we heard Joel say through the radio in our helmets. "Coming up at two o'clock right about now!"

"Great," Nancy replied. "But most of my controls are jammed. Including my landing gear."

"Don't worry," Joel replied. "Kelsey! We're in position!"

"OK. Attach your cable magnets to the shuttle," Kelsey instructed.

"Cable magnets? For what?" Nancy inquired.

"We're gonna help you land," Kelsey replied.

"Roger that! You got one side, I've got the other, Jane?" Joel said.

"You know it, Cowboy!" Jane declared.

"Try and keep her steady, Nancy!" Joel told the pilot.

"Be careful. I don't have much control!" Nancy reminded them. The cable magnets from both Zords were lowered and latched on to a side of the shuttle respectively.

"Alright! We've got you!" Joel declared.

"Just hang in there, guys," Jane told them as she and Joel propelled upwards to alter the angle of the space shuttle so that it was leveled off.

"Carter! My readings are showing that the shuttle's leveling off!" Chad informed our leader.

"That's fantastic! But it can't land at that speed!" Carter said.

"Don't worry, Carter," I told him. "I'm pretty sure I know what Kelsey's planning. And I know it'll work, too."

"Dana, clear the freeway! It's about to become a landing strip!" Kelsey commanded. "Lucretzia, there's debris scattered across it! Can you clear it?"

"With this baby, I can do anything!" I answered firmly, rolling out. Huge chunks of concrete lay scattered across the freeway ahead of where Dana was clearing it. "Land Claws, extend!" I ordered. The two, huge claws extended and I immediately began clearing away all the debris left by Whirrlin's destructive winds.

"Mission accomplished!" Dana said. "Freeway's all yours, Kelsey!"

"All the debris's been cleared," I added, moving the last of the debris out the way and rolling off. "Take it away, girl!"

"Great!" Kelsey said. Then, I watched as Haz Rescue 4 rolled off down the freeway.

"Joel! Jane! Put the shuttle on my roof!" Kelsey instructed.

"What? On top of your Zord?" Joel asked in shock.

"At this high speed?" Jane seconded.

"While you're moving?" Nancy demanded in surprise. "You must be crazy!"

"Crazy is my middle name," Kelsey answered.

"I can attest to that," I jumped in.

"Your middle name? You can attest…? Kelsey? Lucretzia? Hey guys, is that you?" Nancy inquired.

"The one and only," Kelsey answered.

"In the flesh," I added.

"Well, if you two think this'll work, I think so too. Let's do it!" Nancy declared.

"That's the spirit!" Kelsey shouted.

"Alright!" I cheered.

"Beginning descent!" Joel told Kelsey.

"Nice and easy!" Jane said as the two Zords began descending down with their load towards the freeway.

"I've got a visual!" Nancy said, spotting the moving yellow Zord.

"Easy! Smooth!" Nancy cautioned.

"We are all over it!" Joel crowed. "This reminds me of the air show days! Hold on, 'cause here comes the Sky Cowboy and Partner!"

"That was **so** lame, Joel," Jane chuckled as they released the magnetic clamps from the shuttle and flew off.

"Alright! It's almost over!" Kelsey told Nancy.

"Steady!" Joel cautioned, watching as the shuttle came down and then landed on the roof of the Zord.

"You got it!" Dana cheered.

"Go Kelsey!" I shouted.

"Carter! How am I doing?" Kelsey questioned.

"Ease it down! You're running out of freeway!" Carter warned.

"You can do it, Kelsey!" Chad exclaimed.

"Carter! You and I back her up, alright?" I told him, driving alongside the freeway.

"Good idea, Luca," Carter said, following my Land Rescue Zord towards a section of the freeway which ended in a steep drop.

"You've gotta stop!" Carter shouted.

"I'm trying!" Kelsey answered. The shuttle jerked backwards and forwards. My Zord slid to a halt, and I was ready to help Kelsey and the shuttle crew if the occasion called for it.

"Here goes! Full reverse!" Kelsey said. I watched as the Zord's tires began screeching against the asphalt.

"I can't watch!" I shouted, covering my visor.

"We did it! We did it! Kelsey, we did it!" I heard Nancy cheer through the radio on my helmet. I removed my hands from my visor and saw the Haz Rescue Zord sitting part way over the end of the freeway, the shuttle still on top and intact.

"Yep. Now **that** was crazy! Even for me!" Kelsey answered.

"Woohoo! Alright!" I yelled happily. Then, Carter extended the ladder arms of his Zord and gently took the shuttle off of Kelsey's Zord's roof and placed it on a clear patch nearby.

"Thanks a lot, Carter," Kelsey told him.

"Whew! You did the hard work!" Carter reminded her.

"I sure didn't do it alone! Nothing like doing the impossible!" Kelsey responded.

"Thank you. **All** of you. Thank you," Nancy told us gratefully. Just then, we heard blasts coming from the city. I turned and saw Whirrlin, now a gigantic monster, smashing his way through the city, destroying buildings.

"Oh no!" Carter shouted.

"Let's even the playing field, shall we?" I suggested.

"Carter! Time to step it up a level!" Chad added.

"Megazord Mode! Lightspeed!" Carter commanded.

"Lightspeed!" we all replied and saluted. It felt funny seeing Jane piloting what used to me my Zord to configure the armor for the Lightspeed Megazord's arms, but I got over it. Besides, my Zord became the armor of the legs, which was still pretty cool if you ask me. Jane and I took our places in the control room behind Carter with me on his right and Jane on his left.

"We're locked! All systems go!" Carter declared.

"Let's take out this windbag!" Jane shouted.

"That's the spirit, Jane!" I chuckled. I liked her. Even though she was a bit timid, she had her moments. And she'd studied the demons, which would come in very handy in our battles.

"Wind spin!" Whirrlin declared, spinning around, his high winds tossing huge chunks of debris at the Megazord and shaking it up.

"Hang tight!" Carter told them. I grabbed onto my seat and held on for dear life. Finally, Whirrlin stopped spinning and looked nothing less than shocked to see us still standing.

"Now it's our turn. Lightspeed Ladder Arms! Power Thrusts!" Carter shouted. The Megazord immediately began punching Whirrlin numerous times, weakening him significantly.

"Let's give this guy a lift," Carter suggested as the Ladder Arms grabbed Whirrlin, spun him around and then threw him hard away. He went soaring through the air and landed hard on the ground behind some buildings, exploding.

"Yeah! That's of **that** windbag!" Joel yelled.

"We did it!" Carter shouted jubilantly.

"Not so fast, guys! Look!" Chad told them. Whirrlin was getting back up.

"Don't these monsters ever just go down and stay there?" I asked in frustration.

"Whirrlin's a lot tougher than the first three monsters you faced," Jane told me. "But that doesn't mean we can't beat him!"

"She's right!" Carter declared, socking his fist into his hand. "Lightspeed Megazord Saber! Ignite!" The Saber materialized, but this time, it had the two claws from my Land Rescue Zord for the two branches of the hilt.

"Now **that's** a Saber," I muttered to myself, smirking, liking the newest addition to our most powerful weapon.

"Full power!" Carter declared and with one slash from the Saber, Whirrlin was down for the count, exploding in a huge ball of flames. For good.

"Nothing's impossible for you guys," we heard Nancy say. We all looked at each other, smiling beneath our visors as the Megazord twirled the new and improved Saber against the clear skies of Mariner Bay.

* * *

"Kelsey! Lucretzia!" Nancy shouted, waving and jumping up and down.

"Nancy!" we both yelled back. Helmets under our arms, we ran and each hugged the pilot.

"I should've known you two would turn out to be Power Rangers," Nancy said, beaming. "So, what's it like being a part of Lightspeed Rescue?"

"I love it! It's funny though. I always dreamed of flying a space shuttle!" Kelsey admitted.

"And I always wanted to be an astronaut and go into outer space!" I told her.

"Yeah? Well, after seeing the kinds of rescues **you** have to do, I think I'll keep my job and you two should keep yours!"

"I'll second that," Chad chuckled as the others all laughed.

When we returned to the Aquabase later that day, I was in my quarters reading when the door slid open and Jane walked in.

"Hey. What's up, Ranger?" I asked her. Her face was serious, and I couldn't help but see the resemblance to Captain Mitchell.

"Lucretzia, I know," she said bluntly. I felt my blood freeze, and my skin became covered with goose bumps as I looked up at her and hid my fear.

"You know? Know about what?"

"About the Sword of Sentai. I read about it when I studied about the demons. That sword is a powerful mixture of elemental and supernatural magic. And the demons want it badly so that their Queen, Queen Bansheera, can lay waste to the human world."

"Wow. You need to show me these books of yours, sometime, Jane. But I'm not gonna lie to you. I do have sword here with me. And Diabolico wants it desperately. But they can't unlock its powers without my help. So…"

"Sooner or later, they're going to come after you?"

"Exactly. Jane, you may be the new girl here, but I'm trusting you with my secret. Don't tell the other Rangers, including your sister. I want to tell them myself when the time is right."

"My Dad?"

"He already knows."

Jane sighed. "Alright. I won't tell them about this."

"Thanks, Jane," I responded, smiling. "Now, how about we go and watch a movie or something with the others?"

"Sounds good to me," Jane echoed as we left my room and headed down the hall towards her sister's and Kelsey's room. "Besides, being a Lightspeed Power Ranger, I don't think there's much time for relaxing."

"Trust me, kid," I chuckled as we arrived at the room. "You don't know the half of it!"

***collapses from exhaustion*. Whew! Now this was a lot of work! Anyways, hope you all enjoyed it! So, reviews feed my creativity, so if you want me to remain creative, start using that little button with "Review" on it...now!**


	5. Chapter 5

Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue-A Ninja in Mariner Bay

Summary: Lucretzia Alexandra Solomon is a student of a ninja academy that has been warring with the demons for centuries. When they're released again, Lucretzia comes to help Lightspeed Rescue and protect an ancient sword that could spell the end of humanity if it falls into the demons' hands. But she didn't count on falling in love with her Captain's son. Little Carter X OC, Eventual Ryan X OC

**Hey! So, a big thanks to my reviewers Pink Lightspeed Ranger and DJ Scales! So, if you guys have readers or have friends on FanFiction, _please_ encourage them to check out this story! Also thanks to Dunk234 and CamaroDude1989 for adding this story to your favorites and DJ Scales for putting this on story alert. So, chapter 5 is finally here guys! Enjoy!  
**

Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers or any of their characters! That belongs to Saban! Jane and Austin belong to Pink Lightspeed Ranger! All O/C belong to me (meaning Lucretzia, Sensei Kurahara and Maurice)!

Chapter Five- A Matter of Trust

Lucretzia was sitting on her bed reading a book when a call came over her communicator.

"Lucretzia. Can you come to the conference room now?" Captain Mitchell commanded. "There's something I need to discuss with you."

"Right away, Sir," Lucretzia replied. Closing her book after marking her place, she hurried out of her quarters and almost ran smack into…Carter Grayson!

"Whoa! Where's the fire, Lucretzia?" he asked, smiling.

"Sorry, Carter. Captain Mitchell wants to see me ASAP," Lucretzia replied. "He said he needs to discuss something with me."

"Is it about…_him_?" Carter asked bracingly, cringing as Luca's face became as hard as flint. It had been a few weeks since Sensei Kurahara had died, but the Rangers had only found out recently during their battle with Whirrlin that Diabolico, Queen Bansheera's servant and second-in-command, had murdered their friend's ninja master and was after some sword that Lucretzia allegedly had in her possession. Since then, he and the others had tried giving her a little space until she was ready to tell them the whole story.

"I don't know, Carter. I have to go," Lucretzia said, trying to brush past him, but he gently seized her arm and whirled her around to face him.

"I'm sorry about your Sensei, Luca," Carter told her, the kindness and sincerity in his voice breaking away the hard mask her face had become. She felt the tears rolling down her cheeks and was oblivious to how she'd gotten into Carter's arms, but there she was, crying into his chest, clinging to him like he was her lifeline.

"We're gonna destroy Diabolico, Luca. I promise," Carter whispered to her. She sniffled and wiped away the remaining tears with the back of her hand.

"Thanks, Carter. I…" she began to say, but she looked over his shoulder and saw Jane standing nearby in the same corridor, jaw on the ground, and a look of pure shock on her face. "I'll see ya later." With that, she dashed out of his arms and headed to the conference room. When she finally arrived, Captain Mitchell's face was stern.

"Lucretzia. Please, sit," he told her. She took a seat at the conference table. Then, he continued. "An experimental Fuel Cell is being transported from a top-secret military lab to Lightspeed Rescue. It's extremely powerful and sensitive to high temperature, so you must keep it away from the heat no matter what, or it could explode and cause a lot of damage. However, since we know the demons will come after it for sure, Dr. Hansen is going to have a decoy with him at the airport. I want you, Carter, Chad, Joel and Kelsey to escort Dr. Hansen to the Aquabase as a diversion."

"Alright. But what about Dana and Jane?" Lucretzia asked.

"They'll be escorting an old friend of mine to the Aquabase with the _real_ Fuel Cell," Captain Mitchell answered.

"Sir? If I may ask...why are you splitting up the team like this?" Lucretzia questioned.

"I have a feeling that my daughters believe that I don't trust them, even though I chose them to become Lightspeed Power Rangers," Captain Mitchell explained. "But it's the complete opposite: I trust them more than they know. And getting that fuel cell back here safe and sound will prove that to them. I hope."

"I understand. It was the same way with me and…_him_," Lucretzia replied, biting down on her lip. Captain Mitchell's face grew somber.

"We'll be burying him later today, just so you know, Lucretzia," Captain Mitchell informed her. "I called you here to ask you what you wanted inscribed on his headstone, what type of ceremony you want and whether or not you want the other Rangers to be there when you…say goodbye."

"Sensei…**Father…** was never one for extravagant things. I think just a simple prayer and some words over his grave would suffice. On his headstone, I want his name, Sensei Kurahara and his real name, Timothy Solomon, Beloved Husband, Father and Ninjitsu Master, and his birthday and his day of death, which was June 23, 2000. And as to the other Rangers being there…I don't think I could handle saying goodbye to Sensei Kurahara without them."

* * *

"Rangers, pay very close attention. This fuel cell is top secret, and it is extremely powerful. Also, it's sensitive to high temperature, so you must keep it away from heat no matter what," Captain Mitchell said. The computer image of the fuel cell exploded, and it was massive. Everyone sat up straight after that as if they now fully grasped the gravity of the situation. "You will meet Dr. Hanson at the airport. He'll have it with him. Your job is to make sure it gets back here, safe and sound."

"Understood, sir. Nothing will happen to that fuel cell. Come on, let's go," Carter said. Everyone began to get up and head out to the Rescue Rover, but Captain Mitchell called his two daughters back.

"Dana, Jane, I have a different assignment for you two," he said. Everyone but Lucretzia looked at each other in confusion.

"C'mon, guys," Lucretzia prodded. "We've got a scientist with a dangerous fuel cell waiting for us."

"But Dana and Jane…" Kelsey said.

"Have their assignment and we have ours," Lucretzia told them firmly. "Trust me, guys. They'll be alright." The other four Rangers looked at one another in confusion before Carter looked back at the young ninja and nodded.

"Alright. Let's go," Carter said to the others.

"Right," everyone chorused as they followed him.

* * *

Jane's POV

As Dana drove us to the outskirts of town to pick up Dad's friend, I could still feel the anger radiating off of her. I was pretty steamed myself. We were being asked to pick up our father's old friend and drive him to the Aquabase when our dad was fully capable enough to call him a cab? This was beyond insane! Didn't he trust us enough? He'd chosen us to become Power Rangers, but yet, when the demons were almost certain to try and steal the fuel cell, we'd been assigned to babysit someone? Sometimes, I had to wonder whether our father would ever see us as nothing more than his little girls.

Finally, we reached the house. Dana and I got out of the car and went to the door. The place was shabby and pretty run-down. It was hard to believe that anyone actually lived around here. Dana let out a huff and knocked on the screen door. A man wearing glasses came to the door.

"Hi. I'm Dana, and this is my sister, Jane. Are you…?"

"Oh! Bill Mitchell's daughters!" Captain Mitchell's friend said, laughing and hugging us both. "My name's Earl. Darn tootin' to make your acquaintance! Just a minute, dearies!" He ducked back inside, and Dana and I just shot each other a look. Then, Earl returned with a pair of fishing rods and a tackle box.

"Let's be off while they're still bitin'," Earl said, coming out and handing the poles to me. He turned and locked up his house.

"Wait a minute. You and our father are going _fishing_?" Dana asked in shock. The older man laughed.

"Jealous are you? I'll make it up to you. For being such good girls, you can drive Old Blue," Earl chuckled, handing a set of keys to Dana. I looked and saw the old pickup truck and silently groaned. This was going to be a **really** long day.

* * *

_Meanwhile at the Skull Cavern…_

"The Rangers must **not** get that Fuel Cell!" Diabolico growled, pounding his staff on the hard, stone ground of the cavern. "It's too powerful!"

"If we can steal it, we can destroy Mariner Bay easily!" Vypra suggested. Just then, baby Impus began crying.

"Impus's crying is driving me crazy!" Loki snarled, picking up the tiny, baby demon.

"Wait!" Jinxer shouted, running in and snatching the baby from Loki. "Queen Bansheera's little darling is maturing! And I think he's ready to create his first monster!"

"What kind of monster could a baby create?" Loki asked gruffly. Just then, a purple flash of light came from the infant's pacifier, and a monster card appeared. Jinxer took it in his hand and smiled.

"Yes! Oh, yes! Good work, little one!" Jinxer said before throwing the card into the Monster Portal. "Little child Impus, frail and small. Create us a demon! The evilest of all!" The Monster Portal flashed its red lightning and a fireball came shooting out and circled the demons before landing and transforming into a brown demon wearing grey-colored armor with a white face, red eyes and a green circle at the side of his head.

"I am Fireor! Ready to serve the Queen!" the demon growled.

"So you're the mean monster that Impus created? Well, why don't you show us how powerful you are?" challenged Loki, refusing to let some little baby demon show him up. "Did ya hear me?"

Loki grabbed onto the demon, which turned and shot flames from his eyes, sending the other demon crashing to the floor in a shower of sparks.

"Excellent. Now, get me that Fuel Cell," Diabolico ordered Fireor.

* * *

As Carter drove the Rescue Rover towards the airport, everyone was silent, most of them probably wondering what Dana and Jane were up to. Lucretzia's mind was far away from Mariner Bay. It was back in the luscious, green forests of Japan, and she and Maurice were practicing her hand-to-hand combat and Sensei Kurahara was smiling on the two of them and…

"Luca? Earth to Luca!" Kelsey said, waving her hand in front of Lucretzia's face.

"What? Oh, sorry guys. I guess I was just thinking about something," Lucretzia said, shaking herself.

"About your Sensei?" Chad asked.

"Yeah," the young woman sighed sadly.

"We're really sorry about what happened to him, Luca," Kelsey said, gingerly touching her friend's shoulder.

"Thanks, Kels," Lucretzia answered. "I really appreciate it."

"And we're gonna make sure that Mr. I-wanna-destroy-Mariner-Bay Diabolico gets his just desserts for taking him away from you, girl!" Joel added, smacking his fist into his hand. "And the Sky Cowboy never makes a promise he doesn't intend to keep! Believe that!"

"Thanks. All of you," Lucretzia said, smiling. "It's gonna be hard to say goodbye to him, but at least if you guys are there, I'll be able to pull through."

"When's the funeral?" Carter inquired.

"Later today. Probably this evening," Lucretzia answered. "You're all invited to come."

"We'll be there, Luca," Joel told her. The others nodded as they finally reached the airport and got out of the Rescue Rover. A blue and white helicopter landed on the tarmac.

"Let's go!" Carter shouted over the whirring blades of the chopper. The five Rangers hurried forward as the door opened. Dr. Hansen was wearing a grey lab coat with a metal box handcuffed to his wrist. There were two men in black suits that flanked either side of him. Lucretzia had to smile despite the severity of the situation. The government sure didn't play around with its experiments. The Men in Black were always present.

"Dr. Hansen?" Carter yelled.

"Yes! Are you with Lightspeed?" Dr. Hansen shouted back.

"Relax, Doc. You're in good hands," Joel reassured him as they all climbed into the Rescue Rover.

"Let's move out, Carter!" Lucretzia ordered as she sat in the front with Carter while Chad and Dr. Hansen sat in the middle and Joel and Kelsey sat in the rear, keeping guard in case they were ambushed from behind. Carter drove slowly from the airport back into the city. Everyone was on edge, especially Dr. Hansen. Lucretzia suddenly sensed danger and looked up at the sky.

"Look out!" she screamed as fireballs descended from the sky. Carter managed to swerve away from them and the Rescue Rover screeched to a halt.

"What's going on?" Dr. Hansen asked, sounding panicked.

"That's what we're gonna find out!" Carter replied as he and the others got out of the jeep and looked around.

"And I think I have a pretty good idea what it was," Lucretzia mumbled. Just then, from the smoke of the still-burning fires, Luca thought she saw something materialize.

"Look!" Kelsey shouted as Fireor and a horde of Batlings appeared. Everyone quickly congregated around the Fuel Cell as the demon and his minions approached them.

"Give me the Fuel Cell and no one gets hurt!" Fireor shouted.

"And let Diabolico have it! No way!" Kelsey shouted.

"Then if you won't give it to me, I'll take it!" Fireor screamed.

"You'll have to go through us if you want it, Flame Breath!" Lucretzia shot back as everyone took fighting stances.

"Let's go guys!" Carter commanded.

"Lightspeed! Rescue!" they shouted and then morphed. Fireor shot a few blasts from his sword-like arm, which sent Carter and Kelsey pulling Dr. Hansen away and out of the line of fire.

"Get that cell!" Fireor screeched at the Batlings as they surged forward.

"Cover him!" Carter shouted to Kelsey as he hurried to fight the Batlings.

"Stay down!" Kelsey told him as the scientist clutched the metal box to his chest. Lucretzia fought her way through the Batlings and quickly shot at Fireor, who stumbled back enough for Carter to get in a blow or two. Then, she found herself surrounded by more Batlings. She fought her way back to Kelsey and helped cover Dr. Hansen.

"Dana! Jane! We need you! And fast!" Carter said over the communicator.

"We're on our way!" Dana replied.

"Dana, Jane, hurry!" Carter shouted.

"Negative, Dana! You and Jane return to the Aquabase!" Captain Mitchell told her.

"Father! Sir! They need our help!" Dana replied firmly.

"Your fishing trip can wait!" Jane added.

"I won't say it again! Return to the base!" Captain Mitchell repeated.

"But…" Jane and Dana said at the same time.

"That's an order!" Captain Mitchell said strongly.

"Dana. Jane. Listen to him. Trust me. He knows what he's doing," Lucretzia said before taking a hit from Fireor. "Get back to the base."

"Whose side are you on, Lucretzia?" Dana shouted.

"Yours, D. Like always," Lucretzia said. "And yours too, Jane. Just trust me."

"Dana, Jane! Return to the base NOW!" Captain Mitchell shouted. Then, the link was shut off and then Lucretzia was kicked down by a Batling. She looked up in time to see Fireor slash through the handcuffs and the metal box fell to the floor.

"Oh no! The Fuel Cell!" she shouted, leaping back up and fighting through Batlings to get to the horrified scientist and the experimental fuel cell. But two Batlings grabbed her and held her fast.

"He's got the box!" Kelsey told Carter.

"Not for long!" Carter shouted, breaking free of his captors and blasting Fireor and a Batling away from the Fuel Cell. "C'mon, guys!"

"You've been tricked, Rangers!" Fireor told them. "That box is empty!"

"Empty?" Carter repeated as Chad looked into the empty metal box.

"Then, where is it?" Chad asked as everyone but Lucretzia turned and looked at Dr. Hansen.

"You'd better get somewhere safe," Kelsey advised. "Go on!" Then, the scientist took off.

"I'll give you one more chance! Tell me where the Fuel Cell is!" Fireor roared.

"In your dreams, Hothead!" Lucretzia said, taking out her Rescue Blaster.

"Even if I knew, I wouldn't tell you!" Carter shouted.

"Then you seven can say farewell to…hey! There's only five of you! The Pink and Orange Rangers must have the Power Cell with them! Until I get the Cell, this city is going to **burn**!" Fireor declared before he vanished.

"C'mon guys! **We** need to get to Dana and Jane before **he** does!" Carter told them as they hurried off, not knowing that Vypra was there and had overheard everything.

* * *

Jane's POV

"So, how much further?" Earl asked us.

"Not far," Dana answered.

"We'll be there soon," I added. Suddenly, the air became thick with heat. Earl's tackling box began to drip water and Dana and I tried to fan ourselves to keep cool.

"It's getting too hot out," Earl groaned. I wondered why he was so worried about the heat when fireballs came shooting down, sending the car swerving and crashing into a pile of boxes and oil drums. I felt something cool hit my leg and saw Earl's tackle box on the floor, open and spilling out chunks of ice. Wait, what?

"Are you OK?" Dana asked Earl.

"I'm fine," Earl said, taking several deep breaths. Dana and I got out of the truck to investigate what had just happened when I saw Earl hurry out of the truck and began shoveling ice into his tackle box like a madman.

"Hey! Where are you going?" Dana shouted as she and I ran over to Earl. I started to say something, but something in the ice caught my attention. The fuel cell.

"The fuel cell? You had it the whole time," Dana realized. Earl shoveled it and the ice into his box and shut it.

"Yes, I did. Your father and I, we hoped nothing would happen. But in case it did, he insisted that if you two were with me, I would get to the Aquabase safely, no matter what," Earl explained.

"Our father said that?" I asked.

"Of course. Dana, Jane. Your father couldn't believe it more. Take my word." Earl touched our shoulders and we smiled. Maybe Dad **did** trust us after all. Suddenly, something struck the wall behind us and all three of us tumbled to the ground. Earl groaned in pain as he crawled forward, wincing in pain as he wrapped the fuel cell up in his brown jacket with some chunks of ice. I looked up and saw a very familiar, unwanted face materialize. Vypra. Dana helped Earl up and I backed towards them, sheltering them from the smirking demon.

"C'mon. Let's get out of here!" Dana said as we hurried away with Earl. Vypra, unfortunately, was close behind us.

* * *

"My plan is working! Burn brighter!" Fireor commanded as Lucretzia and the other Rangers burst through the door and onto the rooftop.

"Fireor! We're here to cool you down!"Carter told them as they took up fighting stances.

"Our business is not finished! Batlings?" Fireor commanded as the bat-like warriors swarmed forward towards the Rangers.

"We've got a job to do!" Kelsey shouted.

"Right!" everyone said, saluting before they leapt into action and began kicking Batling butt. Lucretzia looked up and saw Joel dueling Fireor. She hurried forward to help, but Fireor seized Joel and brought him down from the roof, throwing him hard into the ground. The five Rangers quickly regrouped.

"You OK, Joel?" Lucretzia asked.

"I'm alright," Joel gritted out, holding his shoulder.

"How do ya like **this**?" Fireor shouted. Flaming ropes shot from his arm and formed his blade.

"We don't!" Carter shot back.

"Got that right!" Lucretzia seconded as they all surged forward with their Rescue Blasters in Baton Mode. Unfortunately, Fireor was too strong for them, and they were soon down hard on the ground. Lucretzia could only hope and pray that Dana and Jane got that fuel cell back to the Aquabase fast. She didn't know how much longer they could last.

* * *

Jane's POV

We ran and ran and ran after Dana stopped to put Earl's arm in a sling. Then, we reached the docks. All that was behind us was the water. Just then, Vypra appeared, sword drawn and smirking. Dana and I both stepped forward, keeping Earl behind the two of us. The ice was almost pure water and the fuel cell was gonna overheat soon if we didn't get out of here. We backed up slowly until our legs reached the wooden edge, Vypra advancing. Dana looked at the water and then looked at me. I could see the plan she was thinking of in her eyes and nodded, smiling.

"Trust us," Dana said to Earl. Earl nodded, not taking his eyes off of Vypra. Just as Vypra blasted a laser form her sword, Dana picked up a metal pole and deflected the shot, sending sparks flying everywhere. Seizing Earl's good arm, I pulled into the water with me, Dana following us as we swam to the submarine nearby. Finally, shivering and wrapped in towels, we entered the Aquabase to see a smiling Captain Mitchell.

"You made it," Captain Mitchell said.

"Yes. Thanks to Dana and Jane," he said, smiling and looking at the both of us. Captain Mitchell saw the fuel cell wrapped up in his jacket, safe and sound. He smiled and then looked at us, beaming.

"Sir. The other Rangers?" Dana reminded him.

"Go," he told us, smiling. Grinning, we threw him two, smart salutes and then headed off, morphing along the way.

* * *

Lucretzia got to her feet slowly and saw Carter being tossed to the ground by Fireor. She gritted her teeth as the monster advanced on the Red Ranger.

"You can't fight fire, Red Ranger! I'm gonna snuff you out like a candle!" Fireor chuckled as he advanced towards Carter. Lucretzia took out her Blaster and shot the demon.

"Keep away from my friends, Flame Boy!" Lucretzia snarled as she hurried over and stood in front of Carter.

"Ah! So **you're** the Guardian of that little sword everyone's been talking about!" Fireor said. "After I flambé these four and Pink and Orange, I'll take ya to meet Diabolico, little Ranger!"

"Over my dead body, you flame-eating dog!" Lucretzia shot back, converting her Blaster into Baton Mode and charging at him. Unfortunately, after a few sword blows, Luca was down for the count beside Carter.

"The flames of passion burned bright in you, little Guardian girl! But you're flame's about to be extinguished!" Fireor said, standing over Lucretzia. Just then, two laser blasts propelled the demon back and to the ground.

"You guys weren't going to have a barbeque without **us, **were you?" Dana said as she and Jane twirled their blasters and holstered them before hurrying to help Carter and Luca up.

"Dana! Jane!" Luca exclaimed.

"Two more Rangers to roast!" Fireor roared.

"Am I ever glad to see you guys!" Carter told them, sounding nothing less than grateful as they got into their fighting stances.

"Now we'll see who feels the heat!" Dana said.

"Power Rangers! Rescue Ready!" everyone shouted. Carter charged first and Fireor flamed around him, toying with him until he smashed him into the ground and hurried off onto a balcony.

"You're not getting away that easily!" Dana yelled after him. She leapt into the air and caught a wire. The others followed suit and saw Fireor hurry into the warehouse. They followed the demon, Rescue Blasters out and ready to be used.

"Be careful guys," Carter cautioned as they searched the warehouse. Suddenly, Lucretzia felt that same sense of danger go off in her mind like before they'd been attacked guarding Dr. Hansen.

"You've jumped from the frying pan right into the fire!" he shouted before throwing fireballs at them.

"Did you say jump?" Joel repeated as everyone sprang out of the flames, with Joel taking a shot at Fireor before they regrouped.

"Aerial attack!" Joel shouted. Everyone grabbed a rope and swung in, kicking Fireor. Looking at Carter, Lucretzia nodded and they swung into together and, like twin typhoons, landed hard kicks that sent Fireor to the floor.

"How about a fireball?" he suggested evilly, a ball of flames coming crashing down from the ceiling.

"Look out!" Chad yelled, but it was too late. The fireball hit with precision and Lucretzia and her friends crumpled to the ground.

"If ya can't stand the heat, stay outta the kitchen!" Fireor cackled, putting his foot on Carter's chest and summoning up another fireball. "Time to go out in a blaze of glory!"

"Now!" Carter ordered and everyone leapt onto the demon, holding him in place until the last second. They all jumped away just in time to see Fireor's own fireball destroy its master, blowing him into pieces.

"Mission accomplished," Dana said, saluting.

"Now **that** demon's toast," Jane added, smirking. Just then, Fireor's pieces reformed and he grew into a forty-foot demon.

"Don't ya hate it when they do that?" Lucretzia asked.

"Nope. Because **we've** got a way to even the odds," Jane replied. "Sis?"

"Rail Rescues. On track," she ordered. The Rail Rescues arrived and Lucretzia and others jumped into their Rescue Zords and began rolling out.

"Fire Rescue 1!"

"Aqua Rescue 2!"

"Aero Rescue 3!"

"Haz Rescue 4!"

"Med Rescue 5!"

"Copter Rescue 6!"

"Land Rescue 7!"

"Megazord Mode!" Carter commanded.

"Lightspeed!" the six other Rangers chorused, saluting. With the Megazord formed, Fireor turned and saw his challenger. Rushing in like a wild beast, he managed to get a few hits in with his fancy sword before, just before he struck another one, the Megazord grabbed his wrists and, with the Ladder Arms, pushed him back before throwing him aside like a cheap toy.

"Let's put out this fire!" Jane said, smacking her fist into her hand.

"Lightspeed flip kick!" Dana ordered. Using the Ladder Arms, the Megazord somersaulted around and around, its foot outstretched and kicked Fireor hard several times. The monster staggered back, obviously weakened.

"Lightspeed Megazord Saber!" Dana shouted. The Saber materialized in front and the Megazord grabbed it.

"Ignite!" Dana yelled. And with one, powerful slash, Fireor went down hard, exploding in a great ball of flames.

_That's the end of **that** flame-brained demon!_ Lucretzia thought to herself in relief. _Now, I can get on to more pressing matters. Like saying goodbye to my Father._

* * *

Dana stepped forward and laid a single rose on the headstone. Stepping back, she allowed Kelsey to step forward and do the same. Red roses had been Sensei Kurahara's favorite flower. She'd found one in the forest one day and had brought it to him. His smile alone told her that these flowers were like gold or precious jewels to him.

One by one, each member of the Lightspeed team came forward and laid a single rose on the grave of a fallen ally. Lucretzia was the last in line behind Captain Mitchell. She watched, holding back her tears, as strangers and her teammates honored a man they hardly knew, but felt close to.

Captain Mitchell laid his rose on the grave and stepped back.

"May you rest in peace, old friend," he said before standing at attention and saluting the headstone of his friend and ally. Finally, it was her turn. Sinking to her knees in the grass of the Mariner Bay Cemetery, Lucretzia laid her rose atop the bundle of roses there.

"Master. Sensei. Father. You didn't deserve to die the way you did," she said, choking back a sob. "Before you reached a ripe, old age. Before… you could see me graduate from… the academy. Before…I could call you…Father. Before…you knew…**how much I loved you**!" She broke down and sobbed, clutching the grass tightly in her hands. Behind her, Dana and Kelsey allowed the tears to run freely down their faces as they each put a hand on the girl's shoulders. Jane sniffled and moved closer to her father as she watched the guys take deep breaths, trying hard to hold back their own tears. Captain Mitchell put an arm around his youngest daughter's shoulders, squeezing her tight. Ms. Fairweather took off her glasses and wiped away the tears in her eyes.

"But…I know you're watching over me and my friends, Sensei. I want you to know… that I won't fail you in either my duty as a Power Ranger or… as the Guardian of the Sword of Sentai. And I promise, Sensei, that when the time comes… Diabolico will pay for what he did to you! Goodbye…_Father_. I love you." Silence filled the air of the graveyard as everyone bowed their heads in honor of a fallen ally who had been taken from their friend and them much too soon.

"I think I'd like to be alone with him for a little longer," Lucretzia said, getting up and looking up at her friends.

"If you need anything, just let us know, Luca," Jane said, coming forward and hugging the young woman.

"Thanks, Jane. I will," she replied, hugging the youngest Ranger back. After receiving hugs and back pats from everyone, the small crowd dispersed, leaving Carter and Lucretzia alone in the cemetery.

"If you need to talk or anything, Lucretzia…" Carter began.

"You're here for me," Lucretzia finished, smiling slightly. "I knew you'd be the first one to offer me a listening ear, Carter Grayson. That's what makes you such a great leader. **And** a great person." Carter smiled before he reached out and pulled her into a hug. Being in his arms, Lucretzia felt protected and comforted. She felt that warm feeling wash over again like it had when he'd had his arm around her neck during their last battle with Whirrlin. But she wasn't blushing anymore. Why? He broke away and ruffled her hair slightly, like he would do to his kid sister.

"I'll see you back at the base," he told her. Nodding, he left the cemetery and jogged to catch up with the others. Kneeling back in the grass beside the grave, Lucretzia continued to say her goodbyes to Sensei Kurahara. Suddenly, she sensed a presence and looked through the small group of trees that were nearby. She couldn't see anyone, but the feeling wouldn't leave her, so she rose from her knees and hurried out of the graveyard and back to the Aquabase. Unknown to her, the figure watched her go from the shadows of the treetops. Soon it would be time to make contact with the girl. Smiling, the figure leapt down and then, like a ghostly apparition, it vanished.

**Uh-oh. So who's the mysterious figure spying on Lucretzia? When will her training with the Sword of Sentai begin? And when will Ryan Mitchell _finally_ make an appearance! Stay tuned for the coming chapters for all those answers and more! So, reviews are what keep me going, guys. So use that little button starting...now!**


	6. Chapter 6

Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue-A Ninja in Mariner Bay

Summary: Lucretzia Alexandra Solomon is a student of a ninja academy that has been warring with the demons for centuries. When they're released again, Lucretzia comes to help Lightspeed Rescue and protect an ancient sword that could spell the end of humanity if it falls into the demons' hands. But she didn't count on falling in love with her Captain's son. Little Carter X OC, Eventual Ryan X OC

**Hey! So, a big thanks to my reviewers Pink Lightspeed Ranger, DJ Scales Kamen Rider Lynx and ZabuzasGirl! So, if you guys have readers or have friends on FanFiction, _please_ encourage them to check out this story! So, sorry I took so long to update guys! I was in a non-writing mood for a while, but now I'm back! So, without further ado, enjoy!  
**

Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers or any of their characters! That belongs to Saban! Jane and Austin belong to Pink Lightspeed Ranger! All O/C belong to me (meaning Lucretzia, Sensei Kurahara and Maurice)!

Chapter Six-Wheels of Destruction

Lucretzia was right in the middle of the new romance book she'd bought from the bookstore when the alarm went off. Groaning and mentally cursing the demons for having such ill-timing, she shoved a bookmark into the book and hurried to the Transport Bay. Dana, Kelsey, Carter, Chad and Jane were headed in the same direction. Then, Lucretzia saw Joel talking to Miss Fairweather and almost rolled her eyes. That cowboy never took a day off from flirting!

"Let's go, Joel!" Dana shouted as the six ran past, grabbing their jackets off the wall. Joel and Miss Fairweather looked at them as if they hadn't heard the blaring alarm that signaled trouble in the city.

"Darn it. I guess you have to go," Miss Fairweather said. Luca noted that the brilliant scientist sounded genuinely annoyed and not sarcastic like she usually did. Did that mean that Joel's charms and talk were starting to wear her down? Luca quickly looked at Jane, who glanced at Miss Fairweather and Joel before turning back to Luca and shrugging. It seemed that this baffled the Orange Ranger as much as did her.

"Duty calls," Joel replied, running to the Rescue Rover.

"Forget something?" Chad called. He threw Joel's jacket at the Green Ranger as the lift began to drop. Ms. Fairweather was watching the Rescue Rover descend, shaking her head. Luca was completely confused. She glanced at Joel, who seemed pretty tight-lipped about what'd happened between them. And not in a good way, either. Hopefully, it wouldn't interfere with his Ranger abilities during the fight.

The seven Rangers drove out to an empty roadway, pulled over, and saw a bat-like demon swooping through the air.

"Great! I didn't think the forecast called for sunny with a chance of demons!" Lucretzia joked. Carter rolled his eyes and smirked.

"Lightspeed Rescue!" they shouted, morphing and then charging after him on foot.

"Move it, guys," Carter said, as the demon flapped its enormous wings and continued flying. Then he landed on the ground and turned around. He had a face like a vulture's with a golden mask over his face.

"Man! That is one **ugly** buzzard!" Jane commented.

"Batlings! Get them!" the demon cried, and the foot soldiers charged from behind him.

"Not** these** clowns again!" Joel groaned.

"We can take 'em!" Carter reassured Joel.

"Let's take these guys down!" Luca shouted, getting into a fighting stance.

"Right!" the others shouted, saluting before the seven Power Rangers hurried into battle.

Carter twisted a Batling's arm behind its back, somersaulted and kicked another to the ground. Flipping out of their reach, Joel deflected a sword blow and elbowed a Batling in the chest. Kelsey twisted around a railing to knock several of the foot soldiers down at once. Dana back flipped and kicked her way through the Batlings, and Chad was in top form, felling Batlings right and left. Jane was doing pretty well on her own, kicking a Batling away before back flipping and catching another one in the chest. Luca was in top fighting form, using snap kicks and dragon reverse punches to take out the demon's foot soldiers.

"That was just a warm-up!" the monster shouted, as Luca and her friends stood in a line and faced him. "See if you can handle this!" He fired a trio of lasers at the seven Rangers, who dodged them. Dana back flipped into the air and the other six caught her arms and legs and held her up.

"No problem! Let's see if **you **can handle **this**!" she shouted. The six Power Rangers threw her and, drawing her Rescue Blaster while flying through the air, she blasted the demon in the chest. He fell hard to the ground, and as the seven regrouped, he got back up, moaning.

"Man, I hate pounding the pavement. Why don't **you **give it a try?" he shouted, raising a wind strong with his wings. It was enough to start ripping up chunks of the pavement and Luca fell to the ground with the others not far behind her. The demon bird laughed.

"Fire!" Carter shouted, and drawing out their Rescue Blasters, the seven Rangers shot the demon until he exploded with a rain of sparks. Everyone leapt to their feet.

"Well, that's the end of **that** buzzard," Jane said, sounding grateful that the fight was over so quickly.

"Nice teamwork, guys. He won't be bothering Mariner Bay again," Carter said, twirling his Rescue Blaster and holstering it.

"You got that right," Joel seconded.

"Let's get out of here," Luca said, but as she and her teammates started for the Rescue Rover, a fainting revving noise reached her ears.

"Guys! Do you hear something?" she inquired, cupping her hand to her ear. The noise was getting louder and closer. The others turned and were silent.

"What's that?" Kelsey asked.

"I hear it, too," Dana said.

Suddenly, there was a sound of screeching tires and a car came speeding around the corner. With bat wings and a glass cockpit with a Gatling gun on the top, it looked like something out of an action movie. But Lucretzia had a feeling that this was anything but good. And when the car pulled up and faced her and her friends, the driver's face clear to everyone, she knew her bad vibes were right.

"It's Vypra!" Carter yelled. The demon smirked at the seven Rangers.

"Try this," she said, and pushed a button. The seven friends quickly dodged them and then whipped out their Rescue Blasters, firing at Vypra. Smoke was flying everywhere and Luca was prepared to punch the air in triumph when she saw that the Vypari was still intact. Vypra was laughing. Luca's teeth gritted.

"No way!" Jane growled. Luca could sense that Jane hated Vypra as much as she did. There was something about that female demon that just ticked them both off.

"Not even a scratch! It's impossible!" Carter said. Her engines revved, and the demon's car zoomed towards the seven Rangers, slashing them in showers of sparks and throwing them all to the ground. Lucretzia clenched her hands tightly. There was **no way** she was letting that cocky little demon get the better of **her** and her friends!

"They have no effect!" Vypra said. She stopped with a screech. "Just what I thought! In my Vypari, I am invincible!" Vypra cried triumphantly. She began to zoom away.

"We've got to stop her! Come on!" Carter ordered, as the Rangers weakly got to their feet. Climbing into the Rescue Rover, the seven buckled up quickly. Lucretzia had her Rescue Blaster in her lap as she and Chad sat in the middle, Dana and Carter in the front, and Jane, Kelsey and Joel in the rear. The Rescue Rover charged after the Vypari.

"Hold on tight, guys!" Carter shouted. "Chad! Luca! Try to take out her tires!"

"Our pleasure!" Luca replied, twirling her Blaster western-style before she and Chad leaned out to the side and began blasting. Dana and the others followed suit, but the lasers just kept bouncing off the Vypari and the surrounding pavement.

"She's getting away!" Carter cried. Tires screeched as he rounded the corner, but there was no sign of Vypra or the Vypari.

"What?" Carter exclaimed, slamming on the brakes. The Rover screeched to a halt and everyone looked around for the demon and her car.

"Where'd she go?" Chad asked.

"I don't know," Carter replied.

"I don't see her anywhere," Kelsey said.

"Well, she didn't just disappear!" Carter growled. Then he hit the dashboard with a frustrated "Gah!"

"She couldn't have gone very far, Carter," Luca said, placing a hand on the Red Ranger's shoulder. "We'll find her." Just then, there was a screeching of tires and Jane whipped around to see Vypra coming up from behind them.

"Or maybe **she'll** find **us**!" Jane corrected as everyone turned.

"She snuck up behind us!" Dana yelled. Chuckling, Vypra pressed a button and completely broke through the Rover's defenses, peppering it with lasers. Luca felt badly shaken as the Vypari zoomed by and prepared to disappear again.

"Huh? We can't lose her again!" Carter shouted, starting the engine. But before they could even swing around, the Vypari vanished into a ripple of air, leaving two streaks of violet fire burning on the roadway behind it. "What was that?"

Everyone leapt out of the Rescue Rover, Blasters in hand, expecting another attack. But it never came.

"She's gone!" Luca snarled, stowing away her Blaster in anger.

"I don't believe it! She's just playing with us!" Carter exclaimed in frustration.

* * *

The battered, scorched Rescue Rover was still smoking slightly when the seven, grim-looking Rangers returned to the Aquabase. Luca saw Miss Fairweather's stricken, shocked face come into view as the ramp finally leveled off.

"Oh my!" she gasped and rushed over. "What happened?"

"Vypra has a new battle vehicle," Carter said quietly, taking the keys out of the ignition. Everyone climbed dejectedly out of the Rescue Rover and headed straight for the conference room. Captain Mitchell was already there, his grim expression telling Lucretzia that he'd seen and heard everything. He gestured for everyone to take a seat before looking to Carter for an explanation as to what had happened. It was times like these that Luca felt sorry for Carter. Being the leader was pretty stressful. Carter quickly summed up what had happened from their battle with the monster to the Vypari's disappearance.

"Interesting," he said after Carter finished. "Then what happened?"

"We had the Rover's defenses up, but her lasers blasted right through," Dana said.

"Did you return fire?" Captain Mitchell asked.

"Ineffective, sir. Her shields deflected every shot," Carter replied.

"And talk about speed! She ran circles around us!" Joel added.

"Everything we tried just...didn't work," Jane jumped in.

Captain Mitchell got out of his chair and turned his back to the Rangers, gazing into the small aquarium.

"But she didn't attack any civilians or destroy any buildings," Luca said aloud. "It's not like the demons to do something like this. Why would she just play around with us?"

"I think...she was testing us," Chad theorized. Everyone glanced around the table.

"Exactly," Captain Mitchell confirmed. "And now… she knows for sure that you can't beat her with the Rescue Rover." Luca and the others exchanged grim looks around the table.

* * *

_Meanwhile at the Skull Cavern…_

"You say the Rangers didn't even come close to touching you! But if your Vypari is so powerful, why didn't you just destroy them?" Diabolico growled, pointing his skull staff at Vypra. "Answer me!" She took a step back before getting an evil look on her face.

"I **will**, Diabolico!" Vypra replied. "Once it's recharged, I'll lay waste to Mariner Bay so our Queen Bansheera may rise…again!" Then, she smiled evilly at little Impus, who sucked on his pacifier and said, "Mama."

"Grr! You and your stupid Vypari! Grow up, Vypra! You'll never beat the Rangers with that **toy**!" Loki countered fiercely, raining on Vypra's triumph.

"**You** have a better idea?" Diabolico inquired, turning to Loki.

"Of course! I always do!" Loki replied, holding a monster card. "Jinxer!" The spell caster arrived immediately and took the card from Loki.

"Oh! Excellent choice, Loki!" Jinxer complimented before throwing the card into the Monster Portal. "Let the elephant who will never forget become the best Ranger-stopper yet!" There was a flash of red lightning and a blue-green looking elephant with huge bat-like ears and long, pointy tusks appeared, cackling and stomped his foot on the ground, causing it to tremble and shake violently.

"I am Elestomp!" he declared, bowing to Loki. "What do you want me to smash?"

"Mariner Bay and the Power Rangers!" Loki answered.

"I'll stomp them into the dust!" Elestomp replied, stomping his foot again and shaking the Skull Cavern. But as Elestomp laughed, Vypra's expression turned sour, and she stormed off into the darkness.

* * *

Lucretzia was trying to focus on her book, but she just couldn't. The events of the day just kept playing over and over in her mind. Sighing, she closed the book and placed it back on her night table. Just then, there was a knock and Jane came inside.

"Hey," she greeted.

"Hey Jane," Luca replied. "What's up?"

"I wanted to talk to you about something…if that's alright."

"Sure." Lucretzia sat up and looked at the Orange Ranger. "What do you want to talk to me about?"

"About you and Carter." Luca's jaw dropped, but she quickly closed it.

"What do you mean "me and Carter"?"

"I mean, is there something going on between you two? You know, as in "more than friends"?"

"Jane, whatever gave you **that** idea?"

"Well, I saw him hugging you outside your quarters a few weeks ago the day you buried your father, and you two are pretty…_flirty_ around each other. Even during battles, you two are always around each other and helping each other. I've even caught him staring at you a couple of times."

"Jane. I know Carter and I might seem to be…_together_, but we're not. I'm kind of a natural flirt. I mean, I won't lie to you. At first, I kind of **did** like him. I mean, he's cute and smart and funny and an amazing guy. But now, I see him more as the older brother I never had. He was hugging me that day because I was so upset about Sensei Kurahara. And as for the stares, I didn't even know about them, honestly. But thanks for coming and talking to me about it, Jane, instead of gossiping and saying things without knowing the facts."

"No problem. I'm not really a gossiper anyways. I…just wanted to know." Lucretzia smiled. She knew that Jane was asking for Dana's sake (who Lucretzia knew had a crush on Carter) and admired the way that Jane looked out for her older sister. Just then, their morphers beeped.

"What's going on?" Luca asked.

"Trouble. Code red," Captain Mitchell replied. The alarm sounded and the two Rangers rushed off to the Transport Bay.

* * *

The Rescue Rover arrived on the scene of utter destruction and chaos. Small fires were burning, debris and concrete were everywhere, but what turned Lucretzia's stomach the most were the injured people, some of them little children.

"Come on! Let's go!" Dana told the others as they hurried out of the car. Joel grabbed a fire extinguisher and began putting out the fires.

"Here. Let me help you," Kelsey said to a battered man. Dana was treating a woman's injured leg while Chad tended to a bruised man. Luca was cradling a young child in her arms whose leg was covered in an angry burn mark.

"Hey sweetie. What's your name?" Luca asked.

"Marianne," the little girl sniffled.

"That's a pretty name," Luca said as she hurried over to Jane. "I'm Luca, and this is my friend, Jane. She's going to take of you, alright?" The little girl sniffled and nodded. Jane smiled as Lucretzia set the child down on a clear patch of grass.

"This is horrible!" Jane whispered as she tended to the young girl.

"What could've done this?" Kelsey asked.

Just then, Lucretzia saw Carter looking through the smoke and heard the sound of tires peeling out. Vypra. Carter leaped to his feet and ran to the Rescue Rover. He was inside and taking off after Vypra before anyone else could do anything to stop him.

"Carter!" Dana cried. Lucretzia turned and surveyed the damage once more. The injured were many, and as she looked around, the scenes flashed between Mariner Bay and the Kōga Academy attack. She could hear the screams and cries of her friends as they fought mixed with the groans of the injured. Then, she saw a man lying on the ground in the same position she'd found Sensei Kurahara in when Diabolico had killed him. Tears sprang to her eyes. She had to get out of here before anyone noticed. Somehow, her brain was able to give the command to her feet to run, and she sprinted out of the area.

"Luca!" Joel shouted after her.

"Lucretzia! Where are you going?" Dana yelled.

"Should we go after her?" Chad questioned.

"We can't leave these injured people," Kelsey countered, standing up. "I'll go after her."

"No," Jane said firmly, looking up from little Marianne's leg. The others stared at her. "Lucretzia started having flashbacks to when her ninja academy was attacked. She's trying to cope with losing Sensei Kurahara and the life she used to know. She just needs some space right now."

"I hope she'll be alright," Chad said as the others turned back to the injured citizens.

"So do I, Chad," Jane replied, turning her focus back to Marianne's injury. "So do I."

* * *

Lucretzia sat by the small pond, exhausted and heartbroken. She'd run out on her teammates because she couldn't move on with her life! They'd probably think she was pathetic or something. Fresh tears came to her eyes and she buried her head in her arms, which were resting on her knees.

"Hey. Are you OK?" a voice asked. She looked up and saw a young man about her age gazing down at her, concern in his blue eyes. His blond hair was curled on his head and he was wearing all black with a chain around his neck. Lucretzia quickly wiped away her tears.

"I…I guess. It's just…things have kinda been hard lately." He sat down on the grass beside her. Lucretzia felt a warm feeling wash over her; the same one she felt when she was around Carter. The young man, who was also quite muscular, gazed at her left wrist.

"You're a Power Ranger," he observed.

"Yeah," she replied, giving him a small smile. "I'm Lucretzia. Lucretzia Solomon."

"Ryan," he replied. "Ryan M…Morris. Ryan Morris."

"You didn't sound too sure of that, Ryan," Lucretzia chuckled.

"Sorry about that. I changed my last name a few weeks ago, and I'm still getting used to it," he admitted.

"Oh. How come?"

"Personal reasons. So, how come you're so upset?"

"It's just…I was just on a scene where people were injured and hurt by one of the demons, and I started having flashbacks to when my friends and I were caught up in this huge fight back home. I saw one man who was lying on his back, not moving, just like…someone very close to me was before he died after a car accident."

"I'm so sorry, Lucretzia."

"It's just…I hate feeling so powerless. This demon is running circles around us and innocent people are getting hurt in the process."

"Just like what happened with your friends, huh?" Luca nodded.

"And the worst part is, I'm letting my inability to move on with my life interfere with being a Ranger. I mean, I ran out on my friends because I still can't get over the fact that someone I love is gone."

"Lucretzia. Look at me." She turned and gazed into Ryan's blue eyes. "Someone once told me that you can't become a true champion unless you've bit the dust more than once. You and the other Rangers will find a way to beat this demon. Trust me. And as for your flashbacks, your friends will understand. This person obviously means a lot to you, and you're not just going to forget them in one day. It may take some time, but you'll get through it."

"Thanks, Ryan." Then, she smiled. "Do you always stop and give advice to crying strangers?" He smiled and stood up, holding out his hand to help her up.

"Only when they're Power Rangers who happen to also be attractive, young women," he replied, smiling as he easily pulled her to her feet. Her face was warm with the heat of a blush. This stranger, who was also a total hunk, had just called _her_ attractive? Just then, Lucretzia's morpher beeped.

"Lucretzia. Return to the base and meet us in the Transport Bay," Captain Mitchell told her.

"Yes sir," she replied before she glanced at Ryan.

"Duty calls," he said, shrugging and smiling. "It was nice meeting you, Lucretzia."

"Right back at you, Ryan," she replied, smiling. "I hope we'll run into each other again."

"Maybe sooner than you think," he shot back, winking at her. _God, he's so HOT!_ Luca screamed in her head. But on the outside, her smile widened.

"I'll hold you to that," she returned, turning and walking away, happily aware of the feel of Ryan's eyes on her retreating figure.

"Oh, you can hold me to that as much you like, my little Power Ranger," Ryan said to himself as he watched her go, a strange smile on his face. "This is one promise I **intend** to keep."

* * *

"Luca! Where've you been?" Carter asked worriedly as she entered the Transport Bay. The others were all there along with Captain Mitchell and Miss Fairweather.

"I'm sorry, guys," she apologized. "It's just…I'm still kind of…_upset_ about Sensei Kurahara and…"

"Don't worry about it, Lucretzia," Dana said, putting a reassuring arm around the older girl's shoulder.

"Yeah. Just warn us next time you go running off like that," Joel added, smiling sympathetically at the young ninja.

"Thanks, guys," Luca said, smiling.

"So, now that we're all here sir, what's going on?" Carter asked. Miss Fairweather took the floor.

"Every now and then, my job gets…personal," she explained. Joel shoved Chad and Luca frowned in confusion. "This is one of those times." Walking to another part of the room, she pulled a red lever. "It is my honor to present to you, the latest weapons in your arsenal."

A light came on in the glass-paneled room behind her, revealing seven motorcycles. Each one matched a Ranger's color with guns on the sides and had the Lightspeed crest on them. "My team has been working around the clock to build them for you. I think they will prove quite useful against Vypra. She'll never see you coming." The proud tone her voice had taken made Lucretzia smile with confidence. Ryan was right. They'd bitten the dust more than once facing Vypra, but now, they were back.

"Wow!" Kelsey exclaimed, gazing through the glass. "They're amazing!"

"Totally cool!" Lucretzia breathed.

"Impressive. But what are they?" Carter questioned.

"These are your new Lightspeed Cycles. They are capable of supersonic speeds and have the most advance weaponry systems," Miss Fairweather said.

"Awesome!" Jane exclaimed.

"Incredible!"Carter said.

"You're a genius, Miss Fairweather!" Dana crowed in admiration.

"Vypra better look out," Chad said in a calm but slightly menacing tone.

"Joel? Joel?" Miss Fairweather prodded. Everyone stared at the Green Ranger who was frowning. "You don't like them?" she asked.

"Oh… nah! They're great," he answered.

"He thought you were building a—ouch!" Chad cried. Joel had stepped on his foot.

"Oh, sorry, Chad," Joel said through gritted teeth. Jane and Luca exchanged looks and rolled their eyes.

"Captain, red alert. The city is under attack," an officer said through Captain Mitchell's earpiece.

"Vypra?" Carter asked.

"Monster. You have work to do," the Captain replied. Everyone nodded and hurried off to get rid of another menace terrorizing the city.

* * *

"Hahahaha! Prepare to feel the power of Elestomp!" the elephant-headed demon shouted, stomping a foot to make his point. The park was practically deserted as civilians scattered to get away from the demon. Carter leaped on the demon, who threw him back with a laugh.

"You OK, Carter?" Luca asked the Red Ranger as they grouped around him.

"Yeah," he answered as everyone turned to face the demon.

"Now prepare for my next trick: the trunk spelunker!" Elestomp shouted, planting his feet wide apart and plunging his trunk into the ground. Suddenly, the earth began splintering towards us and everyone fell hard to the ground in different directions.

"Goodbye, Mariner Bay!" Elestomp cried, performing the trunk spelunker again, destroying a building.

"Hey! Trunk-Face!" Jane shouted. "Time to stomp you out!" Everyone charged as Elestomp charged as well. The elephant demon practically plowed through the seven Rangers like a knife through butter. The worst was when Joel was slammed into a tree and thrown away.

"Joel!" Carter shouted as they grouped around the Green Ranger. Elestomp then fired lasers from his beady slits of eyes and got a direct hit. Carter sprang up as the rest of them slowly got to their feet.

* * *

"You can't stop me!" Elestomp taunted.

"We'll see about that. Rescue Bird!" Carter shouted. The Rescue Bird, in Unilaser mode, arrived in his hands. Everyone took their positions. "Unilaser mode! Ready!" Carter shouted. "Aim! And…FIRE!" The laser hit Elestomp directly and the demon was destroyed. "See ya!"

"Now that's an elephant I'd **love** to forget," Luca said.

"You and your corny jokes," Carter said, rolling his eyes and clapping Lucretzia on the shoulder.

"Rangers," Captain Mitchell informed them. "She's back."

"Show time, guys!" Jane exclaimed.

"Let's show her what we've got!" Carter seconded.

"Right!" everyone shouted, saluting.

Lucretzia hurried to her Lightspeed Cycle and zoomed off with the others. She loved it! The speed they were going at was incredible, and the red sirens were a nice touch. Luca looked at Jane and, underneath her visor, matched the Orange Ranger grin-for-grin. This was gonna be **so** sweet!

Finally, they tracked down the Vypari. Vypra was very surprised to see the seven Rangers on their Lightspeed Cycles. Everyone was in a straight row and then revved their engines. Luca's smile widened.

"Fighting fire with fire, eh?" the demon shouted. "Prepare to get burned!"

"The only one getting burned is you, Vypra!" Luca shouted back, gripping the handlebars of her motorcycle tighter. Vypra gritted her teeth and hit the gas, charging towards them.

"Execute defensive maneuvers!" Carter ordered. "Now!"

"Right!" Vypra began firing at them, but this time, she missed every shot. Swinging out away from the Vypari , Lucretzia sped up so that when she, Jane, Kelsey and Dana came back and surrounded the Vypari, she was in front, Kelsey and Dana at the sides and Jane was at the rear.

"Rescue Blasters!" Kelsey called, twirling hers.

"Ready?" Dana asked Jane and Luca.

"You know it!" Jane shouted. Luca whipped hers out and turned slightly, pointing it directly it at the glass windshield.

"This one's for Marianne, Vypra!" Luca growled. The four girls fired their Blasters and Vypra's shield began to shut down. The Vypari swerved, and Joel and Chad took up the chase as the girls swerved out of the way.

"Go get her, guys!" Jane yelled.

"Sock it to her, Cowboy!" Luca added. Vypra swung the car around so that she could shoot Joel and Chad, but they dodged every hit.

"Right back at ya!" Joel shouted, firing his Lightspeed Cycle lasers.

"Fire!" Chad yelled before shooting his own lasers. The shields were weakening more and more and Vypra's Vypari was starting to lose power. She swung around and saw Carter coming straight at her.

"I'll take it from here!" Carter said. Vypra charged towards him, their lasers colliding in mid-air.

"Show her how Lightspeed does it, Carter!" Luca shouted.

"Say goodbye, Vypra!" Carter exclaimed, drawing his Rescue Blaster. He took out her Gatling gun and swerved to a halt as the Vypari skidded and crashed into a pile of boxes, skidding to a halt. Luca and the others drove over to Carter and started whooping with joy.

"Now **that's** the way we do things!" Luca crowed, hugging Carter who spun her around, laughing with joy. Everyone else joined in the small celebration.

"You haven't seen the last of me or my Vypari!" Vypra yelled, pointing a long fingernail at the seven Rangers.

"You just **don't** learn, do you, Vypra?"Carter challenged.

"Oh, I've learned! But you'll wish you hadn't taught me!" she shot back before peeling off. The small celebration continued for a few more moments before they headed back to the Aquabase.

* * *

Lucretzia was just walking down the hallway when she spotted Dana and Jane spying on Miss Fairweather and Joel.

"What's going on, guys?" Luca asked before she was shushed by the two Mitchell sisters.

"I think he's asking her out," Dana whispered.

"On an **actual** date," Jane added. "Here! Grab a spot!"

"Now **this** should be entertaining," Luca muttered as she took a spot beside Jane.

"Now, if I was to ask you out on a date with me… what would you say?" Joel asked. Miss Fairweather smiled and took his arm.

"I'd say that you are one of the most handsome, charming, courteous young men I know," she replied, smiling.

"Then…you'll go out with me?"Joel asked. The three girls looked at one another in shock.

"Absolutely…not. It says in Lightspeed Regulation 322.1: there shall not be any fraternization between squad members," Miss Fairweather said. Luca felt sorry for Joel, so she couldn't understand why Dana and Jane were smiling.

"Well, if weren't for that silly rule, you and I would have a great time, huh?" Joel prodded. Miss Fairweather smiled and put a hand on his cheek.

"Oh, Joel! We'd paint the town red!" Miss Fairweather answered. "Now, how about you take that Cycle out and give it a test run for me?"

"Sure," Joel responded. Once he'd wheeled his Lightspeed Cycle out of the room, the three girls emerged from their hiding place and approached Miss Fairweather.

"There is no regulation 322.1," Dana said, smiling.

"I should know: I memorized the rulebook," Jane added, chuckling.

"What **don't** you memorize, Jane?" Luca giggled. Jane blushed and then playfully hit Luca on the shoulder.

"Shut up!" she said, sending both girls into a fit of giggles.

"Yes. Well, perhaps there in his case, there should be," Miss Fairweather laughed. Dana, her sister and Lucretzia joined in as the Green Ranger soared through the streets of Mariner Bay on the newest weapon in the Rangers' arsenal.

**So, cookies to anyone who can tell me who they think the mystery hunk Lucretzia met was! So, reviews are majorly important to me, guys, so use that little button at the bottom of the page! Starting...now!**


	7. Chapter 7

Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue-A Ninja in Mariner Bay

Summary: Lucretzia Alexandra Solomon is a student of a ninja academy that has been warring with the demons for centuries. When they're released again, Lucretzia comes to help Lightspeed Rescue and protect an ancient sword that could spell the end of humanity if it falls into the demons' hands. But she didn't count on falling in love with her Captain's son. Little Carter X OC, Eventual Ryan X OC

**Hey! So, a big thanks to my reviewers Pink Lightspeed Ranger, DJ Scales and lunarweather! And thanks to all those who added this story and me to all the things that matter to us writers (fav. story, story alert, etc.)! So, if you guys have readers or have friends on FanFiction, _please_ encourage them to check out this story! So, sorry I took so long to update guys! I was in a non-writing mood for a while, but now I'm back! So, without further ado, enjoy chapter 7 of A Ninja in Mariner Bay!  
**

Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers or any of their characters! That belongs to Saban! Jane and Austin belong to Pink Lightspeed Ranger! All O/C belong to me (meaning Lucretzia, Sensei Kurahara and Maurice)!

Chapter Seven- Cyborg Rangers

Lucretzia Solomon was daydreaming. She was surprised that she could still do it after Sensei Kurahara had made it his personal mission to get her to kick the habit. But in her quarters, she lay on her bed daydreaming about Ryan Morris, the handsome young man she'd met by the pond about a week ago. His blond, curly hair, his dazzling blue eyes, his godlike physique and warm smile made her sigh. They were talking again by the light of a candle, and he was smiling at her, his eyes trained on her face as if he wanted to memorize each and every inch of it. And just when he reached out a hand to stroke her cheek, the alarm blared. Lucretzia sat up like she'd been stung by a bee and groaned. Sometimes, she seriously wished the demons would go on vacation or something. _Whichever demon's terrorizing the city this time is **seriously** gonna wish he'd never been created! _ she thought to herself angrily.

"Luca! We've gotta move!" Carter told her through the comm. link in her morpher.

"On my way!" Luca replied, hurrying out of her room and heading towards the Transport Bay where the other Rangers were waiting.

* * *

Arriving on the scene morphed and ready for battle, Lucretzia saw a lightning-shaped horned monster covered with bronze spikes and holding a staff that was surrounded by spikes as well. She and her friends quickly herded the civilians out of harm's way as the Batlings grouped around the monster.

"Strikning! I should've guessed by the thunder and lightning bolts!" Jane growled as the seven Power Rangers took offensive stances.

"Batlings, attack!" Strikning commanded. As the Batlings surged forward, Luca drew out her Rescue Blaster.

"Rescue Blasters! Baton Mode!" she shouted, converting her weapon instantly. The other Rangers followed her lead and began engaging the Batlings in combat. Flipping and kicking, Lucretzia managed to land several hits with her Blaster. Then, she turned and saw that Carter had already engaged Strikning in combat and wasn't doing so well. With a strong punch, Carter went sailing and then landed hard on the ground.

"Carter!" Dana shouted as everyone grouped around him. Luca and Dana helped him up.

"Are you OK?" Kelsey asked.

"I'm fine," Carter answered firmly.

"Power Rangers! I see you want more!" Strikning cackled. "Lightning spikes away!" He shot several spikes from his chest that landed in the ground close to the seven Rangers. Luca saw him throw his hand into the air and a huge bolt of lightning came down. Before anyone could react, the spikes exploded, sending all seven Power Rangers flying into the air before landing hard on the ground.

"You Rangers are pathetic! You're no match for me!" Strikning shouted, turning Carter over with his foot and planting that same foot on the Red Ranger's chest. Then, he saw Lucretzia struggling to get up and seized her by the arm. "And now that I have the Guardian, it's time to finish what I came here for!"

"Luca! No!" Carter shouted, trying to get up and fight, but the blast had hit him hard and he couldn't get up. Strikning's foot was back on Carter's chest when suddenly the demon was sent flying backwards by a laser blast to the chest. Lucretzia was dropped to the ground and then struggled weakly to her feet.

"What was that?" Carter asked, struggling to get up.

"A laser blast… I think," Jane said, balancing on one knee. "But where did it come from?"

"It can't be!" Strikning shouted. Luca's head whipped around.

"Look over there!" Carter yelled, pointing. Heading towards them were seven Rangers almost identical to Lucretzia and her friends. But instead of white gloves and boots, theirs were black. They also had silver disks on their chests and sort weird black thing on their helmets. In their holsters, they carried Blasters just like the human Power Rangers.

"Who the heck are these guys?" Luca inquired.

"Do you guys know anything about other Rangers?" Kelsey asked Dana and Jane. They both shook their heads "no", which only made Lucretzia more suspicious. If Dana and Jane didn't know about these new Rangers (and they were Captain Mitchell's daughters), then something wasn't right.

"It's news to me, too," Carter seconded.

"I'll destroy you all!" Strikning snarled in frustration, rushing at the other Red Ranger with his staff, but the Red Ranger caught it a fraction away from his chest. Strikning looked shocked, but he wasn't the only one. Lucretzia and the others watched in amazement as the seven other Rangers took on Strikning, pummeling him hard with kicks and punches. Strikning, looking weakened and very pissed off, stumbled backwards.

"This isn't over!" he growled before vanishing in a miniature tornado.

"Amazing!" Luca breathed.

"Alright!" Carter cheered.

"Yeah!" Dana shouted, punching the air.

"C'mon! Let's go meet them!" Joel told them, hurrying forward. The others followed behind him and soon were standing in front of their doubles.

"Hey guys! Those were some incredible moves!" Chad exclaimed. But the seven other Rangers didn't say anything. In fact, they just walked right past Lucretzia and the others.

"Hey, wait! Where are you going?!" Jane shouted.

"Hello," said a voice. Everyone turned and saw a bald, stout man wearing a grey lab coat holding a huge control box in his hands. Lucretzia saw the Lightspeed crest on it, but the smug look on the man's face was enough to convince the ninjitsu-student-turned-Power-Ranger that this guy wasn't one of their scientists from the Aquabase. But the other Rangers stopped right next to him.

"Who are they?" Carter questioned.

"They're the Cyborg Rangers," the man informed them.

"You mean, they're robots?" Kelsey asked.

"Indeed they are. Return to base," the man commanded, pressing a button on the remote control box. Then, a black car appeared behind him as the other Rangers were herded away.

"Whoa, wait! What's going on?!" Carter yelled.

"Excuse me. We have to go," the man said, the smug look on his face now reaching his voice. His smirk grew wider as he slipped into a black car that was also marked with Lightspeed's crest and was driven away.

"That was amazing!" breathed Carter.

"I don't know," Lucretzia said aloud, crossing her arms over her chest. "That guy seemed a little too smug for my liking!"

"If I made those things, I'd be grinning like a madman!" Joel told her.

"Those things **were** pretty awesome, Luca," Jane seconded. "Any help we can get fighting Diabolico would go a long way."

"I know, I know," Luca replied, her eyes narrowing under her helmet at the spot where the strange man had been standing. "But there's just something all this that doesn't seem right."

* * *

Back at the Aquabase, Captain Mitchell and Miss Fairweather were standing at the monitor, looking nothing less than shocked at the appearance of the Cyborg Rangers.

"Miss Fairweather?" Captain Mitchell prodded, looking for an explanation as to why he was kept in the dark about this.

"We aren't developing any such Cyborg Rangers, sir," Miss Fairweather told Captain Mitchell.

"Well, if we didn't send them…who did?" Captain Mitchell inquired.

"**I **did," replied a serious voice from behind the two. They both turned and saw an elderly man wearing the decorated uniform of an army general. He held a crop in his hand and whacked it against his polished, black boots before twisting it in his black-gloved hands. He was flanked by two men, and his blue eyes were piercing as he stared at Captain Mitchell.

"General McKnight!" Captain Mitchell said, jumping to attention and saluting. The general returned the salute and Captain Mitchell stood at ease. "What in the world's going on? I wasn't told…"

"**No one** was told," General McKnight interrupted firmly. "The Cyborg Rangers are a top secret project."

"For what? We already have seven Power Rangers," Captain Mitchell informed him. The general smiled.

"You mean those…_kids_?" the general chuckled lightly, approaching the captain. Miss Fairweather got a worried look on her face when he did that. "The Cyborg Rangers are ten times stronger. They're programmed for one thing: fighting. And they never make mistakes."

"Meaning **what**?" Captain Mitchell asked pointedly. Just then, the seven human Rangers were pulling in to the Transport Bay, looking excited about the new Rangers they'd just seen

"Captain Mitchell, they're incredible!"

"Completely amazing, Dad!" Jane seconded, smiling brightly at him.

"Yeah! And with your new Cyborgs on the team, pfft, Diabolico doesn't stand a chance!" Joel crowed happily.

"The Cyborg Rangers aren't here to **join** you," General McKnight informed them, stepping forward. Lucretzia immediately recognized him from her Lightspeed handbook. He was the top dog of Lightspeed Rescue, but something in his tone made Lucretzia want to sock him. "They're here to **replace** you."

"Replace us?!" Carter repeated in shock. Lucretzia's jaw dropped on the ground. Now, she **really** wanted to sock this guy.

"Sir. This is a mistake," Captain Mitchell interceded.

"I don't think so, Captain. You saw them yourself. They saved these…_kids_," General McKnight reminded him. Everyone stared around at each other in disbelief. "What were you thinking, Bill? They could never defeat Diabolico and his evils."

"Meaning what, General Mc-Know-It-All?" Joel scoffed.

"Yeah! You wanna see how tough we are?!" Kelsey challenged, stepping forward.

"Quiet!" Captain Mitchell and Jane hissed at the same time. Kelsey stepped back and shot a look at Jane. The Orange Ranger looked back and shot her a look that told the Yellow Ranger that she didn't like this either, but arguing wasn't going to help. Just then, the seven Cyborg Rangers came into view behind General McKnight.

"You are relieved of your duties," General McKnight told them. With a swish of his crop, two men with a silver briefcase appeared with slots for the seven morphers. One of them seized Carter's left wrist. Carter seized the man's hand, and then looked to Captain Mitchell. The Captain shook his head and Carter removed the man's hand before placing the morpher into the case himself. Chad, Kelsey, Dana and Jane followed his lead.

"What about the Prophecy?" Luca demanded as the man seized her wrist and dragged her forward.

"You actually **believe** some ancient prophecy about a **human** being able to defeat Queen Bansheera?" the General chuckled. "Oh no. That prophecy was mistaken. Nevertheless, the Sword of Sentai will be safe in the hands of its new Cyborg Guardian." Lucretzia turned and stared at her robotic double before placing the morpher in the case. Joel went last, gazing at Miss Fairweather, who sighed and shook her head sadly. The briefcase was snapped shut and the two men were gone.

"The Cyborgs are the future of Lightspeed," General McKnight told Captain Mitchell, smiling. "Diabolico won't know what hit him." Then, he turned to the seven former Rangers. "Dismissed."

* * *

_At the Skull Cavern…_

Inside the Skull Cavern, Loki, Vypra, Diabolico and Jinxer all came into the room and were blasted with baby Impus's non-stop crying.

"Don't you ever stop crying?!" snarled Loki at the baby demon.

"Mama!" the baby cried, sucking fiercely on his pacifier.

"I've tried everything to calm him, but he misses his mother, Queen Bansheera," Jinxer replied.

"And the day she returns to us, Impus will remember how **you** treated him, Diabolico," Vypra told him, then smiled down at the little baby.

"He needs the comfort of his mother," Jinxer told them. "I hope she comes back quickly."

"The sooner the better. With her great powers, we'll crush the Rangers like flies!" Diabolico snarled, clenching his fists.

* * *

Inside the Aquabase, Miss Fairweather was scanning the new Cyborg Rangers, who were recharging their batteries.

"Impressive, aren't they?" General McKnight said proudly.

"Very," Miss Fairweather answered curtly, avoiding eye contact.

"Platinum alloy skin, night vision, heat sensitive targeting," General McKnight informed her. "Every millimeter programmed to perfection."

"Truly impressive," Miss Fairweather answered. "But I fear they're missing something."

"And what might that be?" General McKnight inquired, laughing slightly at the thought of Lightspeed's newest weapons missing anything.

"The one you **can't** program: a heart!" Miss Fairweather replied, slamming down her clipboard and striding quickly out of the room while General McKnight stared after her.

* * *

Standing on a bridge in the city's park, Lucretzia gazed down into the waters of the river that ran beneath it. She still couldn't believe that she and her friends had been replaced by a bunch of robotic Rangers! Not only that, but that pompous General McKnight had even stripped her of her Guardianship of the Sword of Sentai and given it to a robot! If she wasn't the Guardian of the Sword of Sentai any longer, then why had Sensei Kurahara chosen her? Had he known that Lightspeed might replace them with robots? If he had, then what was the point of his death if it was all for nothing? She clenched her fists and gritted her teeth. Dana, who was standing beside her, patted her shoulder gently. Luca looked up from the waters and smiled at the former Pink Ranger. Carter came and stood beside Dana.

"So, what do **you **think Carter? **Are** the Cyborgs better than us?" Chad asked. Everyone turned to their leader for an answer. Carter gazed at their faces one by one, a frown on his face.

"I don't know. I just don't know," Carter answered gravely, looking away. Everyone's faces looked sad, Jane's especially. Luca put a hand on the former Orange Ranger's shoulder.

"But on that note, there's something else that's been bugging me," Joel said, turning to Lucretzia. "What sword were you talking about to General Mc-Know-It-All, Luca? Because I could swear I heard Diabolico say something a sword that time when we faced Whirrlin!"

"So did I," Chad agreed.

"Luca. I think you'd better tell us what's going on," Kelsey told her plainly. Lucretzia sighed before leaning back against the railing of the bridge.

"Alright. I guess I might as well tell you, since this problem's not going to go away anytime soon," Lucretzia replied. Taking a deep breath, she began. "Sensei Kurahara wasn't just my ninjitsu master and my father. He was also the Guardian of a powerful sword that the same warlock who imprisoned the demons used to drive them back. It's called the Sword of Sentai. It's a powerful blend of elemental and supernatural magic."

"When you say "elemental", you mean…?" Dana began to ask. Lucretzia nodded.

"It can control the four elements: earth, wind, water and fire. It also has other supernatural powers that can only be unlocked by its Guardian."

"No wonder Diabolico wants it," Kelsey breathed. "That sword could spell the end of humanity if he got his hands on it!"

"Exactly. This is why a Guardian was chosen to protect the sword and master its powers to defeat Queen Bansheera and her demons. The Guardian would also be within the warlock's family, and…he's my ancestor."

"Whoa!" Joel breathed. "So, when your Sensei passed on…"

"That meant that **you** became the new Guardian," Dana finished.

"Exactly."

"So, Diabolico can't use the Sword's powers without you," Carter said, looking at her worriedly. "So that means, he's going to come after you."

"Yes. But it's not for himself that he wants the sword."

"Then who?" Joel asked.

"Queen Bansheera," Jane replied. Everyone looked at Jane except for Lucretzia. "I…I read about it in one of my books about the demons."

"You really **have** to show me these books sometime, Jane!" Luca chuckled.

"Sure," Jane replied. "And don't worry, Luca. We won't let Diabolico anywhere near you!" Luca smiled, but just as the other Rangers grouped around her and reassured her that she and the Sword would be safe, the sound of an explosion interrupted them. Everyone rushed to the edge of the bridge.

"Oh no! Look!" Kelsey shouted, pointing to a huge cloud of smoke rising up from behind a building.

"Even if we're not Rangers still, don't ya think…?" Chad inquired, looking at Carter.

"We should check it out," Carter confirmed. He began to hurry off to check it out, but Joel seized his wrist and held him back.

"Hey! It's not our job, remember?" Joel reminded him pointedly.

"Yeah! We were fired! Let the **Cyborgs** handle it!" Kelsey seconded bitterly.

"Guys. Forget the fact that we're not officially Rangers anymore!" Jane told them firmly. "We can still help!"

"She's right," Luca agreed, putting a firm hand on Jane's shoulder. "Sensei Kurahara taught me that you don't have to have powers to be a hero. All you have to have is the courage to stand against evil and fight for what's right." Carter stood beside Luca, Dana stood beside her younger sister, and Chad stood beside Carter. Kelsey and Joel looked at one another before nodding.

"Then let's get going!" Joel shouted. Luca smiled as she and the others took off behind Carter and headed towards the explosion site. When they got there, they saw the Cyborg Rangers chasing after the man who controlled him and his two assistants. The man controlling them

"This doesn't look good," he said, screaming as the Cyborgs closed in on him. Just then, Carter came flying through the air and grabbed him out of harm's way.

"We'll take it from here!" Carter told him as Luca helped get him between his two assistants. Carter kicked down his Cyborg counterpart, who fell before getting back up, red eyes glowing behind its black visor.

"Human Rangers are no match for Cyborg Rangers! You will all be terminated!" it said.

"He's right! Nothing can stop them!" the man said as Carter, Luca and the others took offensive stances against the Cyborgs.

"You'd better hope you're wrong," Carter told him. Just then, there was a screeching sound of tires and everyone whipped around to see Captain Mitchell driving the Rescue Rover.

"Carter!" he yelled, tossing something in the air. Carter leaped into the air and grabbed his silver Rescue Morpher, strapping it to his wrist. Captain Mitchell tossed the six others into the air, and Luca, Jane, Chad, Kelsey, Joel and Dana all hurried forward and caught them. Morpher strapped onto her wrist, Lucretzia felt a smile come on her face as she lined up with her friends, facing off against the Cyborgs.

"Time for some human power!" Carter declared.

"Let's show these robotic wannabes what we've got, guys!" Luca seconded, holding up her silver Rescue Morpher.

"Lightspeed Rescue!" they all shouted, and then morphed. Rushing forward, everyone engaged their Cyborg counterparts. Lucretzia was battling one-on-one with her Cyborg, which seemed to know all her ninjitsu moves.

"Man! Lightspeed's gotta stop keeping such a close eye on me!" Lucretzia muttered. Flipping in the air, she performed a new move that Maurice had been teaching her before the academy was attacked: Wrath of the Dragon. Kicking the Cyborg straight in the helmet, she pushed off of it and then kicked off a nearby wall, soaring at the Cyborg and punching it twice before landing on her feet in an offensive stance. The Cyborg staggered back and Lucretzia drew her Rescue Blaster, firing twice and directly hitting her Cyborg counterpart in the chest. "Can't beat the original, you robotic wannabe!" Then she watched as the other Rangers took out their Cyborg counterparts with either their Blasters or, as in the cases of her, Chad and Jane, using some martial arts move to take them down. Finally, only Carter was left to face his. The others stood nearby in case he needed help.

"You're history!" he shouted before he and his Cyborg both cartwheeled and Carter dodged a kick before landing a hit with his Baton. Then, he twirled it and converted it back to Blaster mode. "See ya, Cyborg!" And with two blasts, the Red Cyborg Ranger was destroyed, shattering into pieces. "That's the end of that!"

"Aren't you forgetting something you little Power Pests?!" yelled Strikning. Everyone quickly got into defensive stances.

"I was hoping he'd just given up!" Jane groaned.

"The only pest around here is you!" Carter shouted to Strikning. "And we're gonna stomp you out!"

"Ki-ya!" everyone cried.

"We'll see about that! Lightning spikes away!" Strikning shouted, throwing more lightning spikes from his chest. This time, however, everyone leapt into the air and dodged them as the lightning hit them and the spikes exploded.

"What?!" the demon snarled in shock as the Rangers landed unharmed in front of him.

"Nice try, Strikning!" Luca yelled, smirking. "But that's not gonna work this time!"

"She's right! We're on to your tricks!" Carter seconded, drawing out his Blaster and converted it to Baton Mode. "Now, try one of ours!" Everyone followed his lead. "Let's do it!"

"Right!" the others replied. Leaping into the air, Jane, Dana and Kelsey slashed at Strikning first, followed by a quick, second attack by Joel, Chad and Lucretzia. Then, everyone turned and crossed their batons, forming a square. Carter jumped onto the batons and the six other Rangers propelled him forward, and he landed a hard blow to Strikning, who fell to the ground, smoking.

"Why you…! I oughta…!" the demon growled.

"Time to finish this guy for good!" Jane said firmly.

"Right, Jane! Rescue Bird!" Carter commanded. The Rescue Bird flew through the sky and landed in Carter's hands. "Unilaser mode!"

"Uh-oh!" Strikning cried.

""Uh-oh" is right!" Luca said, smirking as she stood behind Joel.

"Ready!" Chad, Joel and Luca all confirmed.

"Aim!" Dana, Kelsey and Jane seconded.

"And…FIRE!" Carter shouted as the golden laser fired from the Rescue Bird and hit Strikning, causing him to explode into chunks.

"Yes!" Dana cheered, punching the air.

"Alright! Mission accomplished!" Carter said, saluting and shouldering the Rescue Bird. Just then, the seven Rangers heard a roar behind them and saw a forty-foot tall Strikning begin to go on a rampage and destroy the city.

"Oh no!" Kelsey cried.

"Why do they always have to grow?" Jane asked.

"Well, two can play at that game!" Lucretzia snapped. "Carter! Let's do it!"

"Right! Rail Rescues! On track!" Carter ordered. Hurrying to their Rail Rescues, they all hurried into their Rescue Zords.

"Alright guys! Megazord Mode! Lightspeed!" Carter commanded.

"Lightspeed!" everyone else replied, saluting. All the Rescue Zords began configuring into their respective portions of the Megazord. Lucretzia drove her Land Rescue Zord and then it split apart and began the armor for the legs of the Megazord and the other elbow. She joined the others in the control center and took her place behind Carter and beside Jane. The Megazord moved forward into battle. Blocking a hit from Strikning, the Megazord took a punch and stumbled backwards. Then, Striking shot a couple of lightning spikes from his chest and they sank right into the Megazord's chest, causing sparks to fly.

"We've gotta do something before the lightning hit us!" Chad shouted.

"Wish we could give him a taste of his own medicine!" Jane snapped.

"Wait! That's it! Jane, you're a genius!" Luca exclaimed happily. "We just have to redirect the lightning back at him!"

"How're we supposed to do that?" Joel asked.

"I've got an idea! Ladder Arms!" Carter shouted, deploying the ladder arms forward. They grabbed on to Strikning and held him in the air. The lightning hit the Megazord, but then travelled through the metal arms of the Megazord and right back at Strikning, who took the hit and was slow to get up. "Megazord Saber! Ignite!" The Saber materialized and powered up, and with one might swing, sliced across Strikning's chest and destroyed the demon, who fell and exploded in a great ball of flames.

"Betcha those Cyborgs couldn't do **that**!" Dana cheered.

"All hail human power!" Jane seconded. Everyone laughed as the skies over Mariner Bay cleared, and the Megazord stood tall and proud.

* * *

Back at the Aquabase, the seven Rangers were celebrating their victory, but were still unclear as to whether or not they were back on the job.

"Attention!" the General ordered. Everyone quickly leapt to attention as the General came striding forward slowly.

"I…underestimated your capabilities," the General told them. Then, he looked over to Miss Fairweather. "And your…_hearts_. I…apologize. Captain Mitchell made a wise choice." Then, he smiled and held up one hand and two fingers. "_Seven_ wise choices. And I know he wasn't the only one who did." He was looking straight at Lucretzia. "Your Sensei was a wise man to have chosen you to be the Guardian of the Sword of Sentai, Lucretzia. And I apologize for scoffing at the Prophecy. After what I saw today, I'm starting to believe that it just might come true." She could feel the eyes of the other Rangers on her, but she would have to explain it to them another time. She nodded and smiled at the General.

"Thank you sir," Carter said, saluting. General McKnight returned the salute before turning to Captain Mitchell, who immediately straightened up.

"Captain. Carry on," he instructed. "I won't interfere anymore." Then, he walked out of the room, flanked by the disgraced scientist and his men. The second they were out of earshot, everyone burst into cheers and shouts of happiness. Luca hugged Jane as the others jumped and shouted. Joel even tossed his cowboy hat in the air.

"Well…I'm going to get some Thai food to celebrate! Anyone wanna come with me?!" Luca asked excitedly.

"I will!" Kelsey exclaimed.

"Maybe next time," Dana told her.

"Yeah. I'm not really feeling for Thai today," Jane replied, giving Luca an apologetic smile.

"Boys?" she inquired.

"Pizza's good for us. But thanks, Luca," Carter told her. Chad and Joel nodded their heads in agreement.

"OK. Suit yourselves. C'mon, Kelsey!" Luca shouted as the two of them took off for the best Thai restaurant in Mariner Bay.

* * *

"Ginger chicken with broccoli on steamed rice and a ginger ale," the elderly woman said, handing Lucretzia a white bag with her order. "And chicken fried rice with a Mountain Dew," she concluded, handing another to Kelsey with her order.

"Thank you!" the two girls chorused before heading out of the restaurant and back onto the streets on Mariner Bay. They were just rounding a corner when someone almost slammed into both Kelsey and Lucretzia.

"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry!" the stranger cried as Lucretzia just managed to catch her food before it fell to the ground.

"Just watch where you're…!" Luca began to say, but then stopped short when she recognized the blond curls and blue eyes of the young man standing in front of her. Ryan smiled as he saw who he'd nearly knocked down.

"Hey," he said, his smile widening when he saw her.

"Hey yourself," Luca replied, smiling as well. Kelsey looked at her friend and bit down on her lip to keep from laughing. The guy was cute, no doubt, but the way Lucretzia was staring at him right now, she looked like a fish on a hook.

"Sorry I almost knocked you down," Ryan apologized. "Guess I need to watch where I'm going."

"It's OK!" Luca said hurriedly and then started blushing. "Right, Kelsey?"

"Yeah. Sure," Kelsey replied, biting back a laugh. "You two know each other?"

"I ran into her in the park not too long ago," Ryan jumped in. "We talked and, well…I've been hoping to see her again ever since. My name's Ryan, by the way."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Kelsey," Kelsey said, shaking hands with Ryan.

"Well, I'd better let you two go," Ryan said, looking from Kelsey to Lucretzia. "You're probably starving." He turned to go.

"Ryan! Wait!" Luca called out after him. He turned around. "When will I see you again?"

"I'll be out of town for the next week or so on…business. But…let me get your number, and I'll call you when I get back in town," Ryan offered. Luca smiled and took out a small notebook and pen. Jotting down her cell phone number, she tore the leaf sheet out of the book and handed it to Ryan. He smiled and tucked it into the pocket of his black pants. "Cool. Nice meeting you both. Bye Kelsey. Bye… _Lucretzia_." The way he said her name and the way he winked at her before turning and walking off was enough to Lucretzia swoon. He was _so_ hot and _so_ perfect!

"Wait 'til Jane and Dana hear about this!" Kelsey chuckled. "Lucretzia Solomon, a Lightspeed Power Ranger and the Guardian of a powerful sword, is a lovestruck puppy in the presence of a cute guy named Ryan!"

"Kelsey!" Lucretzia screeched, laughing as she chased the Yellow Ranger down the street and back to the Aquabase. Neither of them noticed that Ryan was looking after them, smiling.

"Lovestruck, huh? This might be easier than I thought," he said aloud, smirking before he disappeared into the crowd of people shopping and enjoying themselves in the city of Mariner Bay.

**Oh boy! Luca's falling hard for Ryan! But he's not all he seems to be! What's Ryan up to? What will happen to Lucretzia in the next chapter! And will Kelsey actually tell Dana and Jane about meeting Lucretzia's "friend"? Stay tuned for the answers to all these questions and more in the coming chapters of A Ninja in Mariner Bay! So, the next chapter is going to deviate a lot from the show's episode 8 because it's gonna focus on my O/C and her destiny as the Guardian of the Sword of Sentai! So, until then, please review because they inspire my creativity. So review please, starting...now! Happy reading! **

**-Livangel16  
**


	8. Chapter 8

Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue-A Ninja in Mariner Bay

Summary: Lucretzia Alexandra Solomon is a student of a ninja academy that has been warring with the demons for centuries. When they're released again, Lucretzia comes to help Lightspeed Rescue and protect an ancient sword that could spell the end of humanity if it falls into the demons' hands. But she didn't count on falling in love with her Captain's son. Little Carter X OC, Eventual Ryan X OC

**Hey! So, a big thanks to my reviewers Pink Lightspeed Ranger, DJ Scales, Jamie and NightmareOnElmStreetFan! And thanks to all those who added this story and me to all the things that matter to us writers (fav. story, story alert, etc.)! So, if you guys have readers or have friends on FanFiction, _please_ encourage them to check out this story! So, sorry I took so long to update guys! I was in a non-writing mood for a while, but now I'm back! So, without further ado, enjoy chapter 8 of A Ninja in Mariner Bay!**

Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers or any of their characters! That belongs to Saban! Jane and Austin belong to Pink Lightspeed Ranger! All O/C belong to me (meaning Lucretzia, Sensei Kurahara and Maurice)!

Chapter Eight- Up to the Challenge

Luca woke up from another dream about Ryan Morris. The gorgeous guy that she seemed to be running into all over Mariner Bay was a regular guest in her dreams now, and Lucretzia had to start considering that she was falling in love with the blond, mysterious stranger. And what was not to love? He was handsome, charming, witty and seemed to want to be around her a lot. But there was a small part of her that was nagging her not to be so hasty about this guy, that maybe this guy was a little too good to be true. Just then, her morpher went off.

"Rangers. Red alert," Captain Mitchell told them. "You've got work to do."

"On our way, sir," Luca replied, throwing on some clothes and then morphing. "Guess my dream boy's gonna have to wait until later."

* * *

The Rail Rescues arrived at the scene of a burning skyscraper in the warehouse district. Apparently, a demon named Smogger (what kinda name was that anyways?) had attacked the place before Lucretzia and her friends could get there. The burning building was slowly starting to crumble, and the Rangers needed to help the injured and get the trapped people out of there. The seven Rangers were seated in the locomotive portion of the Rail Rescues.

"Joel, Dana. You help the people outside. Chad, Luca, Jane. You work on putting that fire out!" Carter commanded.

"Right!" everyone replied unanimously. Scrambling into their Rescue Zords, Lucretzia, Chad and Jane quickly rolled out in their Rescue Zords and used their water cannons to begin extinguishing the fire.

"Kelsey! There are people trapped inside the parking structure. We've got to get them out!" Carter shouted.

"Let's do it!" Kelsey exclaimed. Haz Rescue 4 drove out of the Rail Rescue and into the building. "We're going in!" The Rescue Zord vanished in a cloud of smoke.

"Roger that, Haz Rescue 4! Good luck!" Lucretzia told Kelsey and Carter.

"I'll teach you how to break through a wall!" Kelsey crowed. "This is cool! Hold on!"

"What?!" Jane cried in shock.

"Kelsey! What are you…?!" Luca began asking, but she heard a _CRASH _and then heard the Yellow Ranger say, _"_Works every time!" Sighing, Luca shook her head. That Kelsey was _seriously_ crazy sometimes!

"Let's go!" Carter ordered. "Looks like we got here just in time!" While Kelsey and Carter finished getting the trapped people inside the Rescue Zord, Lucretzia, Chad and Jane finished extinguishing the last of the flames from the building.

"Awesome teamwork, guys!" Jane cheered.

"I'll second that, Jane!" Lucretzia agreed, smiling and giving her two companions the thumbs-up.

"Carter, we've got the fire under control!" Chad informed their leader. The Haz Rescue Zord drove back outside. Luca parked the Land Rescue 7 and hurried over to Kelsey's Rescue Zord with Chad and Jane coming up behind her. Joel and Dana were already there and were helping people out.

"Great job, guys!" Joel exclaimed, looking at Carter and Kelsey. Then, he looked at Luca, Chad and Jane. "You three too," he added, patting Luca on the shoulder and then Jane. He and Chad high-fived.

"That was some stunt you pulled in there, Kelsey!" Chad observed.

"That old trick? That was nothing," Kelsey replied modestly.

"Well next time, tell us when you're going to do something crazy like that!" Carter said playfully, grabbing Kelsey in a headlock and giving her a noogie on her helmet. She started laughing and tried to break free.

"Yeah!" Luca agreed, giving Kelsey a playful hit to the shoulder. "That way I can have the paramedics on standby when you give me a heart attack!"

"Hey! You've already got two on standby right here, remember?" Jane reminded her, looping an arm around her older sister's shoulder. Everyone began laughing, but just then a column of steam shot out of the ground and formed into a black-and-orange demon with round shoulders that looked huge and a round mouth with teeth.

"Playtime's over, Rangers!" the demon growled fiercely.

"So…I'm gonna go out on a limb here and guess that Mr. Ugly here is our demon Smogger," Luca commented as they all drop into defensive stances.

"Yep. And he's just as ugly as in the book," Jane informed her.

"What are you doing here, Smogger?!" Carter demanded.

"Yeah!" Joel added.

"This!" Smogger shouted. Suddenly, Lucretzia felt something seize her from behind and immediately turned and saw the Batlings grabbing her arms and legs. "I'm gonna have a ball!" the demon yelled, bending over and then turning into a giant ball before he began rolling away.

"This is getting really annoying!" Jane shouted as she flipped a Batling. Lucretzia kicked one away before doing a backflip in the air and, drawing her Rescue Blaster, fired at another one and sent it crashing to the ground.

"Chad! Kelsey! Don't let him get away!" Carter shouted as he grappled with a Batling.

"We're on it!" Chad shouted before dashing off with Kelsey after Smogger. Dana quickly ducked and a Batling rolled over her back and she slammed it down with a kick. Back-flipping out of his fight, Joel punched an oncoming Batling in the chest, and it staggered back into another one. Carter kicked one in the face, and it spun in a circle before collapsing to the ground. Just then, Lucretzia heard an explosion.

"Chad! Kelsey!" she shouted, sprinting down the same way her two friends had gone. Carter, Jane, Dana and Joel were right behind her as she came around a corner and hurried to where Chad was seated on the ground, demorphed and holding an unconscious Kelsey in his arms. Luca skidded to a halt and threw herself down onto the ground beside them.

"Oh no! Kelsey!" Carter shouted, darting forward. The others were right behind him.

"Is she…?" Luca began to ask, but allowed the rest of the sentence to remain unspoken. Jane quickly knelt down beside the injured Yellow Ranger and pressed two fingers to the side of her neck.

"She's only unconscious and she's still breathing," Jane reported. Dana and Joel picked her up.

"What happened?" Carter questioned.

"Smogger ran into that building," Chad panted, pointing to a burnt-out building. "Kelsey shot up the door and went in after him, but he filled the place with gas and made it explode." He winced and clutched his side. Lucretzia immediately wrapped an arm around his shoulders and hauled him up as they headed back to the Rail Rescues to take their friends to the hospital.

* * *

Chad had gone inside Room 413 to check on Kelsey, who was still unconscious. Lucretzia watched from the window nearby and hugged herself tightly. She was really starting to dislike hospitals. She felt someone place two hands on her shoulders and turned her head to see that it was Carter. Her eyes quickly flashed to Dana, who was staring at the two of them. Luca shook her head and moved away from him. Jane quickly seized Dana by the arm and dragged her off into a corner to go and talk. Joel was slouched in a chair in the waiting room. Just then, Dana and Jane returned at the same time that Chad did. He looked so sad and guilty that Lucretzia wanted to hug him.

"This whole thing was my fault! I should have stopped her!" he sighed as he sat down in a chair.

"Yeah right!" Joel scoffed, sitting down next to him. "You should know that nobody can stop that girl from doing anything once her mind's made up!"

"And the doctor says she's going to be fine," Dana reminded him.

"It's not your fault, Chad," Jane added. Lucretzia put a hand on the Blue Ranger's shoulder just as Carter's morpher beeped with an incoming call from Captain Mitchell.

"Carter here," the Red Ranger answered.

"We've located the Smogger. He's in the Main Street tunnel," Captain Mitchell informed them.

"We're on it!" Lucretzia replied firmly as she and the others raced outside to the Rescue Rover. Just then, a gold cloud settled between her and the other Rangers. Lucretzia watched in amazement as the golden cloud surrounded her, the light radiating from it shining brightly all around her. Finally, the glow faded away and she found herself standing in the midst of a wooded area. She gasped as she recognized the familiar trees where she'd so often rested under and trained under.

"Lucretzia. It is time," said a familiar voice. Lucretzia turned and saw Sensei Kurahara , glowing with a bright light and wearing the same robe he'd been in when Diabolico had attacked the academy with Loki and the Batlings. She couldn't help but smile and wanted so badly to hug him tightly and never let go.

"Sensei," she replied, bowing. "Time for what?"

"It is time for you to begin to master the elemental powers of the Sword of Sentai," Sensei Kurahara replied, smiling. "We shall start by summoning the Sword of Sentai here."

"Sensei. I can't remember the entire incantation from memory!" Lucretzia protested. "I don't even remember how it starts!"

"All you have to do is, "Sentai, arise!" and the sword will appear before you. Trust yourself, and you will succeed."

"Alright, Sensei. I will try." Lucretzia closed her eyes and then shouted, "Sentai, arise!" Just then, Lucretzia felt something heavy in her hand, and she looked and saw the Sword of Sentai in her hands. Jaw hanging open in shock, Lucretzia looked and saw Sensei Kurahara smiling proudly at her.

"Sensei! I did it! I did it!" she exclaimed, jumping up and down. "I really did it!"

"Well done, my child," Sensei Kurahara chuckled. "But now, the difficult portion of your lesson begins. You must now learn to summon the wind element of the Sword of Sentai. and control it. And wind is one of the most difficult elements to control."

"Why is that?"

"Because the winds are strong-willed and blow whichever way they choose. They will not easily bend to the will of any master, especially one who is still a novice at heart."

"Then why don't I learn to summon and control the fire element? Or water? Or even earth? Why do I need to master wind first?"

"You will have need of this element in your coming battles, Lucretzia," Sensei Kurahara told her. "And no matter which element we begin with first, all of them have unruly spirits which will not bend easily to the rod of a master."

"OK. What should I do first?" Lucretzia inquired, holding the sword aloft in the air as though she was prepared to use it in combat.

"First, you must listen to the voice of the wind," Sensei Kurahara instructed. "Close your eyes, clear your mind, and focus on hearing only the wind."

"Alright." She closed her eyes and focused. But the only things she heard was the empty silence of the surrounding woods and the occasion chirping of a cricket. After a few moments, she opened her eyes again and faced Sensei Kurahara again, looking extremely disappointed.

"I can't do it, Sensei," Lucretzia sighed.

"Try again. And this time, empty your mind of everything else but the voice of the wind," her father answered, smiling. Sighing, she nodded and then closed her eyes and focused once more. Her mind remained blank for a few moments before she heard a light whisper. Squeezing her eyes tighter, the whisper became louder and louder until she could hear a light, airy voice in her ears.

_"So...you are the Guardian who shall attempt to master **me**, Kaze, Mistress of the Four Winds?!" the voice demanded before letting out a cruel yet airy laugh. "You are nothing but a child."_

_"I am no child, Kaze!" Lucretzia growled. "And I shall master you! No matter how long it takes!"_

_"Very well, little Guardian!" Kaze chuckled. "Then let's see how well you do against my wind _**_tesaki_**_!"_

Lucretzia's eyes flew open and she found herself surrounded by red-eyed creatures that were made of what looked like mist. Their misty claws looked sharp and dangerous, and Lucretzia was suddenly seized by panic in her veins. She'd never seen strange, horrifying creatures like this in her entire life. They looked even worse than the demons.

Suddenly, one of them flew forward and Lucretzia slashed out at it with the Sword of Sentai. She whipped around and saw the creature rematerialize, unscathed by the blade. Then another flew in, and she sliced it right in half, but it simply reconfigured. Then, the wind demons all leapt forward, and Lucretzia screamed in panic as she fell to the ground, slashing wildly at her attackers.

"Sensei! Sensei! Please help me!" she yelled.

"You must use the winds to defeat them!" her father shouted back. "Say, "Sentai, wind!" and believe it, Lucretzia. You must summon the winds!"

"Summon the winds," she repeated, closing her eyes. "Summon the winds. Sentai, wind!" Still, the demons kept attacking her. She rolled to the side and could feel the icy blasts of air they threw at her. One of them knocked her off her feet. She leapt up and backflipped her way through the demons, striking out at them, but her attacks just went right through them. Literally.

"Sentai, wind!" she shouted once more. But nothing happened. Just then, a strong wind seemed to appear out of nowhere, and a vortex swirled and then stopped, revealing a woman with silver hair dressed in all white with blue eyes with no whites. This must've be Kaze, Mistress of the Four Winds. Lucretzia backed up a little, and was immediately hit by another wind attack.

"As I thought!" Kaze snorted, looking scornfully down at Lucretzia, who'd scraped her arm on a branch lying on the ground. "No weak, human child could **ever** master the elements of the Sword of Sentai; let alone control them! You are a failure, Lucretzia Solomon!"

"I...AM...NO...FAILURE!" Lucretzia snarled, rising to her feet and grasping the hilt of the Sword of Sentai tightly in her hands. Raising the sword in the air, the blade pointing heavenwards, with every ounce of strength in her body, she yelled, "Sentai, wind!" There was a bright flash of light and suddenly, a mighty, rushing wind flooded the entire area, surrounding the young woman holding the sword.

"Impossible!" Kaze breathed as her wind demons moved backwards. Lucretzia opened her eyes and smiled wickedly at the stunned Mistress of the Four Winds.

"No. **Very** possible," she chuckled darkly before swinging the sword across in an arc, unleashing a furious blast of wind that hit a group of four wind demons dead on, causing them to vanish. Backflipping and dodging another attack, Lucretzia began slicing with the Sword of Sentai left and right, unleashing powerful blasts of wind that demolished the wind demons until only a shocked, jaw-dropped Kaze remained.

"Now, I shall master the Mistress of the Four Winds!" Lucretzia exclaimed, clenching the sword tightly in her hands. Kaze laughed as she rose from the ground, hovering in mid-air above the ninjitsu student.

"Foolish child!" she snapped. "You may have defeated my wind demons, but my powers are unmatched! Prepare to pay for your insolence!

Kaze fired off a gust of wind from her hands in a sphere, which Lucretzia dodged and then fired off an attack of her own. Kaze just stood still as the wind gust came close to her, and then, she simply held out her hands and halted it right before it touched her. Lucretzia was shocked.

"Did you really think that I could be so easily defeated?" Kaze mocked before hurling the winds back with lightning speed. Lucretzia barely dodged it, but missed seeing it come back around and it hit her directly in the back, sending her flying a few yards before hitting the forest floor hard. "I control the winds, and I can send them right back at you. There's no wind powerful enough to withstand my power." Kaze sent another blast of wind which hit Lucretzia again, causing her to roll a few meters before she stopped. She saw the winds swirling around in a slight circular pattern, and then, a light bulb went off in her mind.

"Maybe there **is**," Lucretzia muttered before staggering to her feet. Holding the Sword of Sentai aloft and raising it to the heavens with every bit of strength left, she called out, "Sentai, wind! Tornado attack!" Another bright flash was emitted from the sword and Lucretzia immediately began to spin faster and faster until Kaze, the woods, and everything around her was a blur. She felt her feet rising off the ground and winds whipping around at top speed. Finally, she brought the sword down with a grand, sweeping arc and sent a gigantic, furious tornado straight at Kaze, who tried to halt it, but was immediately pulled in by the strong winds. Then, there was a huge rush of wind followed by a series of explosions that sounded like fireworks, and then, the tornado disappeared, leaving Kaze, weakened and defeated, on the forest floor.

"You weren't expecting that from a "child", were you?" Lucretzia said, a smirk on her face. Then, she sheathed the sword and extended a hand to Kaze, who looked puzzled, but then took it and allowed Luca to pull her up. Then, Kaze bowed to the young ninja student.

"You have shown great valor and perseverance this day, noble Guardian," Kaze told her in her airy voice. "Forgive my harsh judgment of you earlier. I was mistaken. And I will be proud to serve under you, Lucretzia, Mistress of the Four Winds." Lucretzia beamed and watched as Kaze began glowing brightly and then became a mist which travelled in a spiral before vanishing into the Sword of Sentai.

"Well done, daughter," Sensei Kurahara congratulated. "I am so very proud of you. Now, you must go. Your friends are in danger. Take the Sword of Sentai with you, and display your power over the wind to this...Smogger demon."

"_Hai_, Sensei," Lucretzia responded, bowing to her teacher and father. He bowed in return.

"And...you must be careful of your heart, young one," Sensei Kurahara cautioned. "I have sensed that you are beginning to develop feelings for a stranger. And these feelings are strong; as strong as the ones I had for your mother. But do not trust blindly, for the heart is sometimes wrong. But do not be mistrustful, as the mind is also sometimes wrong."

"So then...what do I do, Sensei?" Lucretzia inquired.

"Wait," Sensei Kurahara instructed. "In time, he will show his true colors. Until then, get to know him. Observe him carefully. Befriend him, but be cautious of him. Show interest, but do not fall madly in love with someone you know so little about."

"But Father! He's sweet and funny and charming and handsome!"

"And yet...he could be dangerous and harmful to your future, young Lucretzia-san. Remember what I always taught you: in all things, balance is the key."

"_Hai,_ Sensei. I understand."

"Good. Now, let me see my daughter in something a little more..._combat-like_." Lucretzia smiled and shouted, "Lightspeed Rescue!" before morphing into the Shiro Ranger. Sensei Kurahara smiled proudly and waved a staff he was carrying in his right hand. The gold cloud descended once more, and with a bright flash of light, the forest and Sensei Kurahara vanished from sight.

* * *

"One wounded Ranger and three to go! Piece of cake!" Smogger chuckled as he advanced on Dana, Joel, Kelsey and Carter. Kelsey was helping Carter up and Lucretzia arrived just in time to see Chad kick Smogger three times in the chest and then Jane rush in with a fast and furious attack.

"You're gonna pay for that, Rangers!" Smogger growled, getting up from the ground.

"That's what you think!" Lucretzia shouted, holding the Sword of Sentai tightly in her hands.

"Luca!" Dana and Kelsey shouted.

"Boy, are we glad to see you!" Carter told her, putting a hand on her shoulder. She nodded, smiling beneath her helmet, and then stepped in front of the other Rangers, pointing the sword directly at Smogger.

"So, **you're** the Guardian Diabolico's been looking for!" Smogger exclaimed. "After I'm done with these pesky Rangers, I'll take ya to meet him!"

"I don't think so!" Luca shot back, pointing the Sword of Sentai into the sky.

"What's she doing?" Kelsey inquired.

"I don't know," Dana answered.

"I think **I** do," Jane told them both, smiling beneath her helmet.

"Give it your best shot, White Ranger!" Smogger challenged, jumping into a fighting stance.

"Here we go," Lucretzia said to herself silently. "Sentai, wind! Tornado attack!" A warm tingling feeling shot up her sword hand and suddenly, there was a burst of light as a tornado appeared from the tip of the sword's blade and grew and grew until it now stood before Lucretzia.

"No way!" Smogger cried in shock.

"Whoa!" Joel breathed.

"Incredible!" Chad exclaimed.

"Sentai, Power of Wind!" Lucretzia shouted before the sword came down in an arc and the tornado was launched forwards so quickly that Smogger barely had time to react to it before it swept him up and tossed him around and around like an old, rag doll. Then, with an upwards sweep of the sword, the tornado vanished and Smogger plummeted to the ground, greatly weakened by the attack.

"Carter! You and Chad take over from here!" Luca shouted.

"You've got it, Luca!" Carter replied, nodding. "Lightspeed Cycle!" He got onto his cycle and Chad leapt into the sidecar attached to it.

"Rescue Blaster!" Chad shouted as they drove straight at Smogger. The side guns fired from the Cycle and the lasers from the Rescue Blaster pummeled Smogger hard.

"Now we've got him!" Carter declared.

"Let's finish this!" Chad replied. They slammed right into Smogger on the Lightspeed Cycle without stopping. Trapped on the front end of the cycle, Smogger endured repeated collisions with boxes, crates and even the sides of a warehouse as Carter and Chad zoomed through them all.

"Luca! Give him one, last hit from the Sword of Sentai!" Carter commanded through the radio in his helmet.

"You've got it!" Lucretzia replied, gripping the sword tightly in her hands. The Lightspeed Cycle screeched to a halt, and Smogger went flying through the air.

"Sentai, wind!" Lucretzia shouted, slashing the sword across through the air, sending a wind attack flying from the sword. The attack hit Smogger in mid-air, and the demon exploded.

"Mission accomplished!" Carter declared as everyone saluted. It was then that Lucretzia noticed Kelsey standing amongst them.

"Hey! Aren't you supposed to be in bed?!" she and Chad asked at the same time.

"You should know me better than that!" Kelsey shot back playfully.

"Point taken," Luca conceded.

"Besides. If I was still in bed, I wouldn't have seen Luca use that ninja sword of hers to kick demon butt," Kelsey added, clapping Luca on the shoulder. "You were awesome, Lucretzia!"

"Yeah! Diabolico's gonna have a hard time gettin' you when you can summon up a tornado to blow him away!" Joel seconded.

"You've mastered the Sword of Sentai, Luca!" Chad added. "It's a huge accomplishment."

"No, Chad. I haven't," Lucretzia corrected. "I've only mastered one of the elements. There's still three more to go. And it was hard enough trying to master wind. Not to mention that there's still the mystic side of it. And Diabolico's not done with Mariner Bay or us yet."

"Well...you've got one down, Luca," Carter reminded her. "That means you're one step closer to fulfilling the Prophecy. And no matter what Diabolico throws at you, remember that you've got us on your side."

"Thanks, Carter," Luca told him. "Thanks all of you." Then, she turned her face to the skies. "I've got one element down, Diabolico, and only three more to go! So, do your worst, demon-breath, because we WILL prevail!"

The other Rangers sent up a unanimous cheer, unaware that someone had been watching the entire battle and was now aware of the power that the Shiro Ranger had mastered. _She's getting stronger,_ the figure thought to himself. _I'll have to step up my game if we're to ever get a hold of that sword and her! _ He watched the Rangers go, his eyes fixed up the Shiro Ranger and the Sword of Sentai. Soon, if he played his cards right, the two objects in his sight would be his.

**So, I don't think I need to tell you who this "mystery figure" is, right? Good. So, Lucretzia's mastered the wind element, but water, fire and earth are gonna prove difficult for our Shiro Ranger. Will she succeed in mastering the other elements? Does Sensei Kurahara sense danger from Ryan? Will the demons ever get their icky claws on the sword and the Guardian? Stay tuned for more chapters of A Ninja in Mariner Bay to find out! So, reviews would be very much appreciated! Starting...NOW! Cheers! :)**

**-Livangel16**


End file.
